NeoGenesis part 1
by Falconw
Summary: Season two redo. Max is in some real trouble back at Manticore with no help from the outside as all her friends believe her to be dead. Logan tries to get some control over his life while he keeps everyone safe as a pledge to Max's memory.
1. Prologue

**NeoGenesis**

**Prologue**

Manticore after the attack

Max was scared. She was lying strapped to the hospital bed listening to the heartbeat coming from her brother's heart that was now beating rhythmically inside her chest. She couldn't believe that he was dead, that she was alive, imprisoned, and soon to be tortured or re-indoctrinated. All her life, the one thing she feared above all, was now a reality. The only possible exceptions being that Logan was still alive, save and without injury, or so she hoped. Did he make it out in time? She was contemplating his fate when the door to her room opened and three people approached. They were wearing white lab coats each with his ID tagged to his front pocket.

The one that entered first didn't even look at her he just walked by and started fiddling with something in the drawers on her right hand side. The other two approached with emotionless expressions and started pulling at her clothes to examine the wound on her chest. '_Bastards could have at least sent a woman'_, Max thought dis-heartedly, _'but typically in Manticore style they sent a group of men to attend to my needs'._

She could feel the colour rising in her face as they pulled her front open. They must have forgotten that they were dealing with a deadly killing machine. Distracted by their examination, Max saw an opportunity and lashed out to the one on her right biting painfully into the flesh of his left arm. She shoved her left knee in the other's groin but due to the restraints she couldn't apply enough force and he easily deflected the blow.

"Shit, she's got my arm! Sedate her, sedate her!" The man with the half eaten arm yelled while he struggled to free himself from the bite. In sheer desperation, while the others were frantically searching for syringes and anaesthesia, he punched Max in the face only to receive more pressure from her jaw.

"Dammit hurry!" he yelled to the others.

"We're coming just hold on" said the first doctor casually pulling the plastic covering from a syringe.

Max was trying frantically to loosen the restraints on her right leg in order to kick out at the other men. The movement was painful and she could feel the stitches on her chest pulling taunt and retracting as she frantically twisted and pulled at the restraints. The taste of blood caused her to want to gag but she resisted keeping her jaw locked. She concentrated all her efforts on breaking the restraints but they just wouldn't give.

"Come on man hurry up!"

The one with the syringe seemed to extract the liquid anaesthesia with deliberate slowness from the bottle as if he was taunting her. Max decided to ignore him and continued her struggle but her efforts were fruitless as she felt the needle with the sedating liquid plunge into her flesh. The doctor didn't even bother with subtleties and stuck the needle into her leg that was closest to him striking the bone. Max moaned softly, knowing that she was doomed.

"Sweet dreams bitch!" he said with a light chuckle.

"Stop standing around and get her off me before she bites my arm off!"

"Stop moaning, she can't bite your arm off. Look she just took a piece of skin. Hope it leaves a scar, serves you right, next time you'll be more careful" said the first doctor without sympathy. His voice was far and distant and Max tried to discern what they were saying next but she was already entering the black void.

Logan's penthouse

Logan wasn't quite himself yet, although slightly better. After the attack on Manticore, and watching Max die in his arms, he had fallen into a state of hopeless depression. For weeks he would either work himself into a coma or sit and stare dispiritedly into a glass of whisky until he was too drunk to even care. Everyone just left him alone, to let him grieve Max in peace. But he was not at peace. His mind and emotions were a mess. He wasn't sure if he was sad or angry, perhaps lonely or all of the above. The only emotion he was sure of was regret. Regret that he did not have a chance to really be with the woman he loved, to tell her he loved her and to hear her say it back. But after some time Logan realised that regret would not bring her back.

He had to live his life in her memory and do whatever he could to ensure that those she loved were safe and unharmed. To protect them and others who couldn't protect themselves he had to use the only resource he had available to him, his alter ego, eyes only. There was just one small problem, he was running low on funding, actually he was close to being completely broke. The booze was partly to blame so he got up, threw the remaining whisky down the drain and decided that the next morning he was going to go out and do something he hasn't done in years. He was going to go look for a job and do what had to be done. If Max was alive she would have been proud.


	2. Chapter 1

**NeoGenesis**

**Chapter 1**

Manticore

Max was in and out of consciousness for the next few weeks. She heard people coming and going, felt them touching her, removing the stitches, giving her injections, changing her bed sheets, but she was unable to respond to anything happening around her. Sometimes she managed to open her eyes only to receive another sedative a minute later. It was pointless, hopeless and completely beyond her control.

After three weeks Max slowly started to gain consciousness again. The first thing she noticed was that she wasn't alone in the room. Someone else was there, she could hear him writing and tuning some papers. Then she heard the door open and immediately knew that Renfro had entered the room even before anyone spoke. She could smell her and hear the clicking of her shoes as she carelessly strolled in without asking permission. Max could imagine the satisfied grin on her face, the lines around her eyes looking on with sadistic humour at the helpless creature strapped to the bed. Max never imagined that she could ever despise anyone more. This woman who killed her sister Tinga and turned Brin into a mindlessly loyal servant that was willing to kill her own family to please her masters. Max wasn't a killer, and she hated guns more than anything else but this woman she would shoot between the eyes without hesitation, and she would continue shooting until the magazine was empty and void of any more bullets. With this thought she tried to open her eyes but the sedative was still keeping her motionless.

"Is she ready?" asked Renfro suddenly near Max's right ear, the same spot where she stood the day Zack died.

The doctor gave a small start, not detecting the director's presence until she spoke. He did not have enhanced hearing like Max did. "Uhm, she's almost fully recovered ma'am. We're keeping her sedated to ensure that she doesn't cause injury to herself or anyone else." He must have been sitting because there was a loud scraping noise of a chair being pushed back as he stood.

"I'll send Laidley to come and collect her tomorrow. The sooner we get this business over with the better. Have her prepared and ready" Renfro said turning away and exiting the room.

The doctor only managed a faint "yes ma'am" before she was out and gone. The doctor soundlessly returned to his work leaving Max alone to contemplate this 'Laidley'.

The next morning Max was fully awake. The doctor that was present the night before had left in the morning and was replaced by the doctor that came in the first time after her heart transplant. He was still his calm and controlled self. Not paying much attention to the woman on the bed trying furiously and quite hopelessly to break her bonds.

She had a chance to look more closely at him now. He had dark hair, brown eyes and a fairly handsome face even though she despised him and the institution he supported. He was also tall and seemed quite fit judging his build and stature. She again tried to struggle free but somehow the fibres of the straps around her arms and legs were just too strong.

_'Struggle as much as you like sweetheart, those reinforced fibres aren't going anywhere'_, though the doctor carelessly observing her struggles from the corner of his eye.

Max's wrists were already rubbed raw but the stupid bonds just wouldn't give. _'If only I could get hold of something sharp', _she thought observing her surroundings but not finding anything.

The door opened and a tall skinny man with slight grey hair entered the room. The doctor looked around at the man and with a half grateful chuckle and a thumb in Max's direction, "she's all yours."

The skinny man approached with 'n nod of his head, grabbed hold of the end of the bed and started pulling Max out of the room.

"Where're we goin' doc? I was just startin' to like my cosy away-from-everyone spot", Max said without showing emotion even though she was slightly concerned.

"Psy-ops, 452. We have a lot of work ahead of us. You've been sleeping for way to long." He replied casually as if this was normal for him.

_'Great!'_

They were heading down a corridor now. She could see people walking around in laboratories doing who knows what, others drinking tea in some sort of resting area, some more doing paperwork or reading. Many of the rooms were sealed off like the one she came from so she couldn't see what was happening in those. The only thing that really struck her was the absolute quiet of the place. It was like everyone was whispering; she could hear the wheels of her bed squeaking against the tiles even without her enhanced hearing. They stopped near an elevator where the skinny man pressed the down button then causally rested against the wall while he waited. Waiting. Still waiting. _'Dammit can we just get this over with', _she thought her nervousness increasing.

Max hated waiting. This waiting was even worse, knowing what was to come, or rather not knowing. She couldn't bear it. She started pulling on her restraints again, just to kill the time.

"Don't do that. You'll need your strength" he said in his casual voice.

"Shove it old man!" she said irritably. _'What's with these people? I'm freaking out and they pretend like all is calm and clear, no worries on my end, I'm not the one tied to a freaking bed.'_

He just gave her a sorry smile without reply. The door opened and they moved inside. Apparently psy-ops wasn't very far because the doors hardly closed before they opened again. Max never checked which floor they were going to; she was too occupied not freaking out.

As soon as they were out and into the next area a man, slightly overweight and balding greeted them, "Didn't know you were bringing her down Markus, could have asked one of the newbies to do that."

"First impressions can say a lot about a person. This one is strong, rebellious; she'll be difficult to crack. You have everything set up?"

"Everything's ready. We can start right now."

"Yeh lets start", said Max sarcastically even though deep down she was very anxious.

They entered a room that was bleak and grey with a large chair in the centre of the room. Max remembered this room from when she was a kid and they taught them how to forget who they were to prevent them from talking when in enemy territory. The same technique Zack used to keep quiet about where her siblings were located. If they hadn't kept her sedated for so long she could have implemented it. Before she could further contemplate her options she felt a needle enter her skin and heard Markus on a nearby intercom, "We need some hands for transfer of a subject, will you send us a few uniforms".

"Will do doctor Laidley, should be there in five", replied an unknown voice from the other side.

The fat one now had some sort of liquid chemical that he used to dissolve Max's bonds. When her one hand was free Max reached up and grabbed the front of the fat one's gown. Max's would have thrown him across the room but she couldn't. It felt like all the strength was drained from her muscles. The fat one didn't seem threatened and casually removed Max's hand placing it by her side.

"They all try that one. Muscle relaxant." he said waving the bottle with the substance he injected her with in front of her eyes. "More along the lines of botulism toxin, except it doesn't last that long and it's not as deadly. Only gives us enough time to transfer you to the chair", he said smirking.

Max wanted to insult the man but she couldn't speak. In fact she couldn't even blink her eyes. She saw movement from the corner of her eyes before two uniforms appeared. One soldier stepped to her left and another to her right. They didn't ask for instructions just lifted her off the bed and placed her in the chair. The fat one quickly fixed her restraints again, this time thick leather straps which he fastened with a buckle. _'Like the executioners chair'_, Max thought.

The fat one was right, the relaxant wore off quickly and soon enough Max could feel her muscles again. Unfortunately by the time Max could move completely she was already strapped down and securely fastened to the chair.

"I'm ready Markus" said the fat man pulling the machine into position. Markus came into view and stuck another needle into Max's arm. Max resisted the urge to pull a face, the liquid burned like fire in her veins. Her vision became blurry and she felt them place some device on her face to keep her right eye open. She tried to struggle but the strap holding her head was too tight and the chemical in her veins made her lose focus.

Suddenly the laser came on and burned into her mind. She tried not to scream but she couldn't help it. They jammed something into her mouth to prevent her from clenching her jaw and breaking her teeth after which they injected another liquid into her veins. A minute later Max's muscles started to spasm and she started to shake uncontrollably.

"Turn off the machine!" yelled Markus.

"What's going on? This is not supposed to happen." replied the fat man indignantly.

"She's seizing you idiot, turn off the mac... " he never finished his sentence as Max lost consciousness.

Howard's electronics

Logan found a job at an electronics store, or rather second hand electronics store as there were few to almost no new parts anywhere in the country. He had to fake a diploma and job description so that he would come across as an IT and electronics specialist. Journalism didn't really pay. It wasn't like he didn't have the skills. His years as eyes only have trained him well in anything electronic.

His boss was all right; a fat overweight black man with a friendly mannerism and smiling eyes. Logan made sure that the man was legit before he applied. You can never be sure where these guys get their stock from. But Howard was all right.

"Well if you want you can start right away. There's never a shortage of work around here. People bring in their old stuff by the bucket-load to get em' fixed, nothin' new though, just old stuff."

"Tough times, but we survive. Where can I leave my stuff?" Logan said as he pointed at his backpack which contained his laptop and some other necessary accessories.

"There are some lockers in the back. You'll be working in here most of the time anyway." He headed off to the back to show Logan the workspace. The small back room had some lockers on the far wall with worktables and junk littering the rest of the room. A small door on the right with a large padlock probably led outside. The few small windows at the top right were mostly covered in grit. It was filthy, it was dark and it smelled funny. _'What did I get myself into?' _Logan wondered.

"... be back soon." Logan didn't concentrate on what Howard was saying, "Sorry what?" Logan tried to correct his error, the mess was slightly overwhelming.

Howard just chuckled, "Skip, you co-worker, he's just out for a bit." Mistaking Logan's lack of hearing as first day nerves he gave him a slap on the back. With a friendly and slightly toothless smile he exclaimed, "relax man, you'll love this place."

Logan couldn't help but smile. _'I will love this place, once it's clean, and organised and fumigated' _he thought watching as a cockroach ran over his foot.

"This one's yours" said Howard pointing at a locker with a slightly skewed door, "and the bathroom is over here", he continued pointing at a door that was behind a large cupboard on the left wall, which is why Logan didn't see it when he entered. "Bring your own toilet paper and soap" Howard emphasized with a slight nod and a slightly more serious smirk.

"So all the tools you'll need are here, and all the merchandise is labelled like this so we don't get confused which belongs to whom." How was pointing at labels and tools which littered the whole room. We also write everything in the book in the front, just in case." Logan acknowledged with a nod not quite sure what to say. He could clearly see that things got lost on a daily basis. The place was chaotic.

"So you need anything else you let me know, otherwise you can start if you like. Just bring everything you fix up front so I can call the customers, right?"

"Right", Logan replied not sure where to start in this pile of junk.

Manticore

Max was sleeping soundly when a silly little light started flickering on her face.

"You still alive 452? Rise and shine, we got work to do" she heard some distant voice say but did not quite comprehend why she needed to get up.

The incessant little light just wouldn't stop. She tried to blink it away and return to her peaceful sleep but the stupid light was still there.

"Hello-o! Wake up sleepy head!"

Max suddenly woke with a start. The fat man was leaning over her with a small flashlight in his hand blinking it on and off to get her attention. "There you are, welcome back." he said with a triumphant smirk. "She's up" he yelled across the room.

"What?" Max was still very confused and couldn't quite get to grips with what was going on.

"All right let's try again." said Markus appearing suddenly.

Max was hardly fully awake when she felt the needle again. They followed the same procedure as before. First the one injection followed by the laser and second injection, then again the seizure.

"Dammit, this isn't working. Turn it off!"

The machine came off quicker this time but again Max lost consciousness.

Howard's electronics

Skip showed up a few hours later with some new second hand supplies. He was a small fellow with messy hair and a slightly stupid look on his face. One of those people who did really badly at school because of attention disorders, but when given a task of fixing something electronic they can perform miracles. Logan immediately liked the fellow immensely.

"Yo... you the new guy?" greeted Skip stuttering slightly as he extended his hand.

"Logan, Logan Cale"

"Steve, but they c... call me skip, caus' I s... stutt..er, y.. you know, skip w... a words" He said quite proudly as if the nickname meant something great.

"Just Logan is fine." He really did not want this guy to give him a nickname.

"Cool, L... L..., L man", replied Skip sealing Logan's fate. "Let me s... show you around" He turned towards the first table pointing, "This is the inbox", pointing to the next table, "there we fix s.. stuff" and the last table, "put... everythin' back together, e..easy."

"Right", Logan smiled as if he understood completely but deep down he was planning on how many of his people he would need to clean this place up.

"Y... you can start there", the small fellow was pointing at the assembly table. _'Of course'_, Logan thought, '_newbie has to prove himself and work his way up.'_

"No problem, boss", the little fellow nearly exploded with pride as he beamed at Logan.

Manticore dungeon

Drip, drip, drip. Max turned in her sleep trying to make the incessant noise stop.

Drip, drip, drip.

"Cindy you didn't close the tap properly, how many ti..." Max said while sitting up then stopped when suddenly she realised she wasn't in her apartment. She was in fact in a cell and the dripping noise came from a leaky pipe across the way. She got up and ran to the door which provided only a small opening in the form of a small barred window. She peered through in order to observe her surroundings but couldn't really see very much. There were other cells. All of them were enclosed like her own with only the small barred window to see through. She could hear other people, some moaning, some just breathing, and some crying. She fruitlessly pulled at the bars but they wouldn't budge.

"Hey!" She yelled, "Let me out!"

"Shut up, 452, or I'll make you shut up!" Came a reply from a uniformed guard sitting at a small table playing cards.

"I'll make it worth your while." Max said trying to sound seductive.

"Nice try! I've heard that one a million times. Besides, if I wanted some fun, I just shoot you with a dart and have my way. So shut up, or you'll regret that offer."

Max backed off from the door and returned to her bunk, repulsed by the mere thought of his words. She just sat there for hours, waiting, wondering. After some time the guards changed shift. She tried again with the new guard but this one just ignored her. It took them about four days before they came for her again. They took her back to the chair room where she was strapped in again. She was given a few initial injections that were not previously administered before they continued with the mind probing procedure as before.

"Be ready" cautioned Markus

The fat guy stood ready as Markus administered the final injection. Max felt the world spin away and then heard voices, voices telling her stories and asking for her opinion. She resisted answering, knowing full well that they were just trying to manipulate her. But it was difficult; they were so insistent, so sincere. Then she felt her muscles contracting and heard voices yelling before all went back into blackness.


	3. Chapter 2

**NeoGenesis**

**Chapter 2**

Logan's penthouse

When Logan got home that evening he felt exhilarated. He had managed to get quite a bit of work done and Howard promised him a decent cheque as soon as he was settled in and the customers were satisfied with his work. He also managed to slip away from work for an hour to get a haircut and some lunch. _'This is going to work out just great'_, he thought when he heard the front door open and Bling calling his name.

"I'm here!" he said walking to the door.

Bling entered with his arms full of groceries then suddenly stopped in his tracks and nearly dropped the supplies. The last time he saw Logan the man was slightly tipsy with long hair and a scruffy untrimmed beard, red bloodshot eyes, sitting miserably in his chair. Now he looked fresh, his hair cut short and gelled up in the usual messy way. He was also smiling. Bling just stared at him.

"Got a job today, Howard's electronics", Logan stated as he approached to help Bling with the groceries.

"Right", was all Bling could manage.

They headed off to the kitchen where Logan started unpacking the paper bags. "A job huh?' Bling was slowly starting to snap out of it.

"Yeh, pays not to bad either. Office needs a bit of cleaning though. No actually a lot of cleaning. Know where I can find insecticide for cockroaches?"

"Insecticide?" Bling was still slightly distracted by the sudden change in his boss.

"For cockroaches, the place is filled with them" Logan expressed with a disgusted wave while still unpacking.

"Oh right, why don't you just fumigate?"

"Too expensive, and I'll have to order from overseas, could take months" Logan paused with a thoughtful look then dismissing the idea with a shrug and continued his unpacking.

"I'll see what I can find for you. The hospital should have something along those lines. You all right?" Bling looked slightly concerned. He wasn't quite sure what caused the sudden change in Logan.

"Yeh... sure" Logan wasn't quite ready to go there yet. "So you mind if we skip tonight's workout. I feel kinda spent?" He turned away from Bling, not sure what kind of emotions was showing on his face.

Bling replied in an understanding tone, "Sure, I'll see you tomorrow." He then turned and left without another word. Logan clearly wasn't okay yet, but at least he was better.

Manticore director's office

The two psy-ops specialists sat nervously outside the director's office. Markus Laidley, the psychological operations leader was closest to the door, designated to be the first to enter the unholy room that was Director Elizabeth Renfro's office. His associate sat close by looking around with unseeing eyes as he contemplated the repercussions of their recent failure to extract any intelligence from the newly acquired X5.

Renfro's secretary, a small woman with beady eyes and pitch black dyed hair, eyed them suspiciously as if they might just suddenly jump up and run. She was quiet and unspoken, doing her duty as if she was the guardian of some sacred sanctuary. She only gave short curt answers or nods when absolutely necessary. A flashing light on the intercom indicated that the director was calling her so she picked up her receiver and answered shortly "yes ma'am".

The whole room was instantly tense as the two specialists focused their eyes on the secretary. The secretary concentrated on the voice on the other end of the line then gave another curt "yes ma'am". She returned the receiver before replying with a sinister smirk to the psy-ops specialists "you can go in".

The two men shuffled in reluctantly and approached the director's desk. Director Renfro, or Madame X as she's notoriously known, wasn't paying them any attention as she continued signing a requisitions form of some unknown nature. The short woman with her short cropped, bleach blond hair was renowned for her ruthless nature that demanded respect, precision and duty to her cause. The two therefore stood silently and waited for her to finish. Finally with abrupt slowness she placed the pen on the desk in front of her and looked up with a sly smile that sent shivers down the spines of the men.

"Markus, you have something to report." She said looking expectantly at the leader knowing full well that they have absolutely nothing concrete to present to her.

"Ma'am, we have been unsuccessful at extracting any information from the acquired X5-452." Markus answered straight to the point knowing that the director would not tolerate a lengthy explanation.

"And why is that" Renfro asked menacingly, narrowing her eyes as if she could see right through them.

"The implant is impairing neurological probing as it's increasing the amount and intensity of the seizures which are caused by neurological impairment in the production of serotonin due to a genetic defe..." he blurted out before he was cut short when Renfro rose to her feet and sated loudly "Hence why I issued the continued intravenous administration of high concentration tryptophan, per your suggestion Dr Laidley?"

Involuntarily taking a step back he replied defensively "It's not working ma'am, she seizes up before we can get any information from her. We've tried it countless times and still have had no success."

Director Renfro sat back down behind her desk and glared at the specialist team from psy-ops standing in front of her. '_Idiots!_' For many weeks they have wasted valuable resources and time to try and extract information from X5-452, and now they tell her that they have no information to present and will not be able to present anything in the near future.

"So what's our options?" she asked in a low tone still glaring.

Markus stepped forward again to answer the director cautiously. "One option would be to continue with re-indoctrination but I fear the intensified seizures will impede our progress. It might not even work at all since we can't keep her in an induced state for longer than a few minutes before she seizes. The seizures are also increasing in their intensity and I fear the procedure might unintentionally cause severe neural damage. On the other hand we could remove the implant, but the procedure is risky ma'am". He was very careful not to show any disrespect, somehow he felt that not only his employment was at stake but also his life. Renfro would not hesitate to destroy those who opposed her or those who she felt unworthy to be in her command.

"So we basically send her for re-indoctrination and turn her into a vegetable or we send her to surgery to, well, turn her into a vegetable" Renfro summarised slightly amused.

"Yes ma'am." Markus answered, unnerved by the directors sudden change in temperament.

Renfro was smiling now. "Fine, send her to surgery. If she survives she'll be re-indoctrinated, if she doesn't we'll find another use for her." She answered curtly with a wave of her hand in dismissal. The team of psy-ops specialists quickly left the room, thankful that they could escape unscathed. Renfro sat back in her chair with a satisfied smirk.

Logan's penthouse

Bling was waiting patiently for the elevator door to open. He came really early so that he can give Logan the insecticide he requested the previous night. He got lucky during his night shift at Metro medical and found an extra bottle of the stuff in storage. The doors opened and Bling quickly walked out towards Logan's door, but the door opened before he could reach it.

"Oh morning Bling!" Logan greeted already dressed for work and on his way out.

"Morning! Isn't it a little early to leave for work already?" Bling checked his watch to make sure he had the right time, 5:30.

"Figured I'll take the bus from now on. People might get suspicious if I drive over every day, besides saves on fuel. Not quite sure how they run these days though so I'll rather go early, and clean a bit." Logan casually replied even though he knew Bling could see right through him.

"Right, good thing I brought the insecticide then" he said throwing the bottle towards Logan who caught it easily.

"Thanks I appreciate this" Logan turned to lock his door then joined Bling in the elevator.

"I went to check out this, Howard's electronics, last night. Looks a bit dingy, but not a bad neighbourhood. Quite far from here though?"

"Checking up on me mom?" Logan joked with a smile.

Bling just shrugged, "I'm glad you're doing this".

"I have to", Logan said looking at his feet, _'for Max' _he though. Looking up with a slight joking smile he said "Someone has to get rid of the cockroaches."

"Huh, sure." Bling chuckled unconvinced.

The elevator opened but before both men left to go their own way Logan turned and said softly "thanks". He wasn't referring to the insecticide but Bling understood and nodded leaving Logan in the elevator to take a deep breath before heading off as well.

Manticore dungeon

Max was sitting on the small bunk in her cell. It was cold and slightly damp since her hospital gown did not offer much protection. The dripping pipe was still at it and driving her insane, but she endured. The only thing that was really bothering her was the food. Not that it was bad; on the contrary they were feeding her quite well these days. She got meat, vegetables and fresh bread on a daily basis with water that did not have the taste of rust like at her apartment, so it must have come from a bottle. But that's just what bothered her. It was like they wanted her to be strong and fit. What were they planning? Why were they being nice to her? Manticore is never nice or thoughtful or anything but cruel, grey and sterile. Or was this just another psychological technique where they were nice to gain her trust? _'Yeh right, like that's ever going to happen'_, she though. No they were up to something, they always were.

It was like that for two weeks. They brought her tasty nutritious food, gave her some better clothes and even let her out once in a while so that she could walk around, with a heavily armed escort of course. But other than that, they left her alone. To rest, or sleep, or contemplate her fate, she really did not know, until after two weeks...

A man with a uniform came strolling by, stopped near her cell and shot her with a dart. The door was opened and more uniformed guards picked her up. She tried to resist but the sedative was too strong and soon she was unconscious. When she woke up she was in some sort of hospital theatre with many doctors milling around the room. She was strapped to a bed, in a slightly upright position with her head secured in some device that prevented her from turning it in any direction. While she was still trying to figure out what was going on one of the doctors noticed that she was awake.

"The subject is awake; we can begin if you like Doctor Harth." Doctor Harth came forward to have a look for himself. Once he entered her line of vision Max's muscles tensed. It was that calm and controlled, dark haired doctor that she first saw after Renfro when she had the heart transplant. _'What is he doing here?'_

"Ah I see. Yes I think we can begin. Sorry but I can't make you sleep for this one 452. We need you awake and fully aware, otherwise this won't work." He seemed anything but sorry. It fact he seemed quite pleased.

"Do whatever you want, I'll never tell you anything." Max was frustrated and angry, she tried to move but she was strapped down so tight she couldn't, not even an inch.

The doctor only smiled, then quite seriously stated "try not to move 452, I might just accidentally sever your spine." With that he took up a position behind her.

Max was still frantically trying to struggle free and it was only when she felt cold antiseptic on the back of her head that she realised what they were planning to do.

"You can't do this. Let me go." She was really panicking now, but there was absolutely nothing she could do.

"Hold still 452, I have to make an incision." His voice was calm, controlled his mind only focusing on the task at hand.

"Nooooo!"

She felt the blade enter her flesh as the surgery began. She tried to scream, to break loose, but there was nothing she could do. She knew that she would die soon. She thought of Cindy and her friends, of her brothers and sisters, of Zack. To them and Logan she was probably already dead. Logan, the man she loved more than anything. That was her final thought before the seizures tore through her body again and she passed out.


	4. Chapter 3

**NeoGenesis**

**Chapter 3**

Howard's electronics

Logan was trying to explain to Skip that they really needed to organize the workroom, but the man, who more closely resembled a boy in stature, clearly had no idea of what organized looked like.

Logan, now in charge of the 'outbox' table where all the parts were reassembled, cleaned and sent back to the client, had an organized system. Screws and bolts were neatly organized in their respective containers according to size, and cleaning materials were kept separate from all the other equipment such as wires and electronic boards. He also managed to get most of the scrap reassembled and back to the perspective clients so that the bench was mostly clean and clear, giving him ample workspace. But Skip just couldn't understand open space. He kept throwing stuff everywhere cluttering the space that Logan worked so hard to create so that he would have more room to actually do his work.

"Look at the labels, everything is labelled, so if the label doesn't say so, it doesn't go there." It was like explaining to a child.

"But there's n...no other s...space to put it. It's just a s... screw, there's no just s... screw box", exclaimed Skip confused by all the detailed labels.

Seeing that he was not going to get anywhere, Logan wrote a new label on a fairly large carton box, Skip's box, and placed it in a spot away from his general work area, grabbed the screw and threw it in the box. The screw hopped slightly, but satisfied that it would remain in the box Logan turned to glare at Skip.

Skip smiled broadly and exclaimed, "that w... a works for me."

"Great, so everything in the box and no stuff on my workbench" Logan said just to emphasize.

"Kay!" Skip nodded beaming at the box with his name on it. He then turned around to add some more stuff to the box that he had finished with.

Exhausted Logan walked to the door asking over his shoulder "I'm going to get some coffee, you want something?"

"N... no, I'm good" skip replied still adding stuff to the box.

Logan just shook his head and headed towards the front of the store. Howard was talking or rather slightly arguing with a client.

"Don't worry miss, I will personally ensure that the computer gets fixed and it'll be ready as soon as possible."

The woman, who had short blond hair and a slight build, didn't seem impressed. "Listen this computer is really important. If I lose it my boss will kill me. If you can't have this ready by tomorrow, don't waste my time, understand." She said slightly agitated moving a few inches closer to the desk for effect. Logan was highly doubtful that they would really be able to fix the computer in a day considering the state of the workroom, but refrained from saying so. Howard on the other hand seemed not to have noticed and was about to continue with his reassurances when Logan interrupted.

"Boss I'm going out for some coffee, you need anything?"

"Yeh, get me some of those tiny round doughnuts they have with the sprinkles would yah", Howard replied before turning back to his client, "so as I was saying ….."

The client ignored him and instead focused her attention on Logan. "You!" she exclaimed pointing at Logan, "you can fix the computer and have it ready by tomorrow, right!"

"Uh." Howard was vigorously indicating behind the woman's back that Logan should say yes.

"Uh, yes of course I can" Logan replied with only slight hesitation.

"Great, I need this fixed before tomorrow morning eight am, you got that." Without waiting for a reply she continued. "Don't fiddle around too much just fix the damn thing alright!" She shoved the computer towards Logan and kept hold of it until he replied "alright."

"Good, I'll be back tomorrow" with a quick final glance at the computer she turned and left.

Logan was still standing perplexed with the computer in his hands staring after her when Howard snapped him out of his reverie "so you gonna get my doughnuts or what?"

"Yes of course, be back in a few" he said distractedly while looking at the computer as if he didn't really know what to do with it. Before he could decide Howard grabbed it from him saying "I'll hold that for ya" then lifted an eyebrow towards the door indicating that Logan should get going.

"Right" Logan just smiled and headed out. From the corner of his eye he saw Howard shaking his head in sympathy.

Coffee shop

The coffee shop was slightly overcrowded but Logan managed to squeeze his way through the throng of people to reach the counter.

"Hey what's taking so long?"

"Where's my coffee?"

"I want a refund this doesn't even taste like coffee!"

_'What on earth is going on?'_ thought Logan looking on at the angry crowd trying to get to the woman behind the counter. He gave a small start when he recognised the bushy head of Original Cindy bent over in an utterly defeated gesture. She was wearing a uniform with the shop's name printed on her sleeve. Without a seconds hesitation he vaulted over the counter and started to calm the crowd.

"Calm down everyone, calm down! Your order will be ready in a second! What was your order?" he asked the man in front of him pointing his finger. The man gave his order and Logan went back to retrieve it. A minute later he reappeared with the man's order. Looking at the next man in line "You?" the second man gave his order and again Logan disappeared to the back.

Seeing that their orders were being attended to the angry mob slowly started to calm down. Cindy looked up to see who had come to her rescue. When she saw Logan she launched herself at him and gave him one heck of a bear hug.

"Easy OC we have a lot of work to do. Sort out the cash will you" he said pushing her away and towards the counter with the cash register.

"Okay" she dried her tears with the back of her hand and started taking money from the expecting customers while Logan ran around to retrieve their orders. Two hours later Logan's exo gave a loud whirr in protest to the exertion. Logan ignored it as he carried the last cups of coffee to the waiting customers. When they were out the door he leaned on the counter with his elbows and pulled his fingers through his hair taking a few minutes to compose himself. Standing he looked at Cindy who avoided his gaze as she was staring at her feet.

"So..." he began "what happened at Jam Pony?"

"Original got her ass fired" she replied still looking at her feet.

"Why?" he asked more sympathetic this time.

"Original Cindy was upset after... didn't go to work. Then Original Cindy went back and explained to Normal what has happened but he refused to believe anything and told Cindy to leave. Said that he was tired of all the excuses and …..." she just shook her head.

"So you got this job but don't know anything about making coffee" he said looking slightly amused.

"What! Original Cindy delivers packages, which recently consisted of food and hot drinks. Cindy doesn't make them frocco mocco's, 'kay!" she complained crossing her arms in defence. "Things just weren't the same when she left" she said looking at the till as if she expected Max to suddenly come out of it.

Logan walked over and placed his arm around her shoulders. "Come on we have a delivery to make, then I'll take you home. We can come in tomorrow early and I'll show you the ropes on making coffee in all their frocco mocco flavours."

"Good thing the owner of this shop isn't in today cause he would have fired my ass again" she said following Logan as he led her out.

"I was just about to ask about that" he said grabbing a box of doughnuts and swinging the door sign around to 'closed' as they left.

On their way back to Howard's Cindy explained that her new boss was out for the day to see his sick sister and left her in charge. Naturally all hell broke loose because Cindy has never made fancy coffees before. She only handled the till and serving customers along with cleaning duties. Logan then told her about his new job and that the doughnuts were for his boss when she tried to steal one. When they got to the electronics store Howard was waiting for them outside.

He looked from Cindy back to Logan as if expecting an explanation but before Logan could reply Cindy started crying and moaned "this man saved Original Cindy's live!" pointing at Logan.

Howard gave Cindy one look then said "I'll put the donuts in a tray" and headed back inside to do just that.

Cindy looked up at Logan and winked without a tear in her eyes. Logan shook his head as they headed in to listen to Cindy telling everyone, with extra exaggeration, how Logan saved her life.

Manticore director's office

Renfro was sitting at her desk staring at the documents in front of her. The front cover read '_NeoGenesis' _with red _Top Secret _stamped diagonally across the title. It was one of the many projects she had to abandon after the attack because there just wasn't enough funding. She was reluctant to abandon this project in particular since it was something she was personally involved with, but she just didn't have a choice. Trials with X5-656 have been, regretfully, unsuccessful and she couldn't risk losing any of the working prototypes if they couldn't conclusively show positive results. She should have burned the file like she did with all the others but somehow she couldn't. She didn't want to.

Recent developments surrounding the X5 known as 452 have prompted her to once again remove the file from her archives. Perhaps this was the one opportunity she had been waiting for. The one chance she needed to secretly try and revive the project again. If they could just obtain positive result that she could present to the committee then she could continue without any hindrances. She would have to be really careful though, the committee could not know of the project while it was still in its trial stages. In fact they don't even know of its prior existence. She also managed to keep it from Lydecker until that wretch of a 452 came around and ruined everything.

_'You ruined this project 452, but now you will bring it back to life' _she thought with a smile. _'I just needed you slightly more dead for this to work, and now you will be, if things go according to plan'_

She sat back and contemplated how she was going to explain to the committee that 452's surgery was tragically unsuccessful, and that she was moved to a caring facility on level 1. She was still carefully re-evaluating her strategy when the door opened and Doctor Harth followed closely by 734 entered her office. She had given instruction that her secretary should allow them in as soon as they arrived.

"Tell me you have some good news James." She was delighted that they have finally finished. The surgery has been going on for almost sixteen hours, and she was tired of waiting.

"Off course, everything went according to plan. I just need your signature and then we can transfer 452 to the NeoGenesis facility" stated Doctor James harth tiredly.

Renfro took the transfer order and signed it before quickly handing it back. "Tell the team I'll stop by shortly, and get some rest James, you look tired."

"Ma'am" Harth acknowledged with a nod as he took the orders from Renfro and left.

734 was still standing quietly at attention waiting for the director to acknowledge her presence.

As the door closed the director turned towards 734. "I want you to monitor 452's progress and report back to me and me alone, is that clear."

"Yes ma'am."

Renfro gestured that she is dismissed with a wave of her hand whereby 734 saluted and left.

Renfro smiled with self-satisfaction as the door closed.

Logan's penthouse

Logan was exhausted when he finally got home after dropping Original Cindy off. He smiled, remembering the time she accused him of being a pimp who sold narcotics to Max. It was only when he threw his bag down on the couch that he remembered about the computer that he had to fix. He had stuffed it in his bag earlier so that he could have a look at it tonight. He looked at the bag and with a sigh he walked in the opposite direction towards the kitchen to make some coffee. He decided to add a few drops of whisky for effect.

With whisky induced coffee in hand he retrieved the computer from his bag and turned it on. An error sounded which Logan knew indicated that the hard drive was faulty. He could use some of his eyes only equipment to retrieve the data files but Howard and Skip might ask how he managed to do that away from work. Then again the woman did look like she was going to have a seizure if the computer didn't get fixed. So he decided he would rather give his retrieval software some exercise, and while that was running he could check his emails. There was still a lot of eyes only work to do after all.

The informant net has been quiet lately without any new extremists in the art of crime that needed to be taken down. Only small timers for which he didn't see the need to do a full scale eyes only broadcast. So while the software worked to retrieve the information from the faulty hard drive Logan began with some hacks into the computers and mainframes of some small time criminals. The hacks were mostly meant to warn them that they are being watched and monitored and if they did not cease their criminal activities, their actions will be made public and they will be brought to justice. _'The Logan Cale brigade for the defence of widows, small children and lost animals', _he thought remembering the woman who once said that.

Finishing off his eyes only work he opened a file containing an image of Max taken from the surveillance video back at Manticore. If the image was a printed photograph it would have had many fingerprints and crinkles on it from excessive touching, considering the amount of times Logan accessed the file. It was the last image he had of her before she died, apart from the one in his head where he was holding her in his arms.

_'We should have never gone in. I could have taken her away to a place somewhere far away where they would never have been able to find her.'_

His computer beeped indicating that the data extraction was complete. He was grateful for the distraction because he could feel himself falling into his depressed haze again. Closing the image file Logan turned towards another screen showing the data from the faulty hard drive. There was quite a lot of data. Most of the files were ordinary mundane stuff such as documents, or pictures. What Logan found really interesting was the large amount of encrypted files that were strategically categorized under different sub folders, such as the one that said 'Suzy's birthday'. Logan's curiosity kicked in and with a boyish smile he opened an eyes only decryption program. The security measures were pretty average and it therefore only took a few minutes for the program to decrypt all the files. To Logan's surprise, names, recruitment dates, service records and locations of members belonging to some sort of resistance group, popped up on the screen.

He was still reading through all the information when he heard the front door open and Bling's voice calling his name.

"I'm back here!" He called without looking around.

"I brought you so..." Bling started but was interrupted by Logan

"You'll never believe what I just found!" Logan looked up at Bling as if expecting him to ask what he found. Bling just smiled noting the excitement in Logan's eyes.

Taking Bling silence as a sign that he was listening Logan continued gesturing with his hands towards the screen "Behold the entire database on the S1W."

"S1W?" Bling asked whereby Logan turned around with a 'you've got to be kidding' look.

"What?" Bling just raised his shoulders completely confused.

"_Security for the First World. _The S1W is a resistance group who opposes the way our leaders treat the less fortunate of our society. They also strongly support veteran soldiers who were willing to give their lives for their country during the war and then left to rot in the streets after the pulse. I actually think it was a few veterans that started the group ….." He was facing the screen again going through all the data to see if his theory was correct.

"Sounds like your kind of people"

"Uh uh"

"So you think you can ally with them? Although I don't think you going through their files is going to go down so well." Bling waited for a reply but Logan was completely engrossed still jumping from one screen to another as he was reading the information.

"If you get your ass kicked, it's not my problem!"

"Sure Bling. Maybe I should re-encrypt these files. Whoever did the encryption on this really isn't any good. You know?" Logan replied distractedly turning towards Bling.

"You haven't been listening to a word I've said, have you?"

"What?"

Folding his arms Bling glared at Logan. "You think these people are going to like your sniffing around in their secret files?"

Logan just looked up smiling boyishly.

"Your funeral" Bling replied turning to leave. "I'll leave your dinner in the kitchen"

"Thanks!"

_'Not like you're going to eat it_' Bling thought looking over his shoulder as Logan continued his obsessive screen searching.

Experimental laboratory

Dr. Harth stood next to the initiation tank yawning. He was tired from the long surgery and the long drive over to the new facility. Renfro had said he should get some sleep, but how could he. After all the years of planning and dreaming, how could he sleep now that everything was ready and they were about to begin. He watched tiredly and yet with excitement as the other scientists were preparing 452 for the procedure. It was quite an invasive procedure. There were pipes that entered key points in her body into which they fed all kinds of substances to sustain the prototype as well as the chemicals they were testing.

This was the same procedure they followed with 656. Unfortunately the procedure did not work last time since the prototype was too agitated, fighting all their efforts and eventually succumbing to a fatal heart attack. 452 on the other hand was in a coma, induced during the brain surgery. To everyone who watched the surgical procedure, Doctor Harth implemented all his skills in order to ensure that the patient suffered no neurological damage, but the implant was just too tightly entwined in her spinal cord. There was nothing that Manticore's most skilled doctor could do. _'Idiots'_ thought Harth. The surgery would have failed either way. They needed 452 comatosed so that the committee won't scrutinize the project. Nobody cared about a half dead vegetable.

The tank containing the lifeless X5 slowly started to fill with liquid. The liquid was specifically designed to ensure that the prototype did not have any pressure points while the procedure was being conducted in case this somehow interfered with tissue development. _'Like a baby in a woman's womb'_ thought Hart as he looked up at 452 now swaying slightly in the liquid, completely submerged.

"Did I not tell you to get some rest James." The director was standing behind Harth, curiously looking up at the lifeless X5.

"Yes ma'am you did. I just needed to make sure everything was in order."

"Everything is in order James, let the scientists do their work now."

Looking back up at the X5 for one last time, Harth turned and left the laboratory. Renfro was smiling as she watched him leave then turned serious again as she searched the room for the lead scientist Doctor McAdams. He was over at the initiation tank fiddling with the controls on a small side panel. He was a stout little man with a beard and small spectacles. He always reminded her of a dwarf. As she headed over in his direction she heard him arguing with another man.

"Why on earth do I need ten different buttons if I wanted to set the temperature 101 Fahrenheit? This is bloody ridiculous."

"You just have to go to temperature set before you set the temperature. It really not that complicated you just ha..."

"Well you do it then, and it better be right otherwise I'll have you in the tank!" McAdams glared then noticed Renfro and with sudden cheerfulness "Director, glad you came, I have some very interesting figures to show you."

He hopped up and headed towards a table in the corned which was actually his makeshift office. Renfro just followed without a word. "Look at this!" He exclaimed as he grabbed a piece of paper from the table. "I've contacted some of my colleagues oversees to see if they would be interested in a vial of viable stem cells. Ha, look at what they are willing to offer. Even if we only get two vials out of her per day, we would still be bloody rich. Hah!"

The figures were spectacular. Renfro paged through the list of figures calculating their profits. _'The costs of the project would be covered within the first month' _she thought. _'Manticore could be financially stable within half a year, and a new DNA lab completed within two years._

"Spectacular don't you think" the little stout man replied as he watched the smile on the director's face broaden.

"Yes very" she replied still calculating their imminent success.

"Now if we could just get this creature" he indicated towards Max "to produce massive amounts of stem cells without turning into a cancerous wretch, we'll be infamous, ha ha"

"You're sure this would work?" The director asked very seriously.

"Of course it will work. Well just constantly have to pump her full of amino acids and perhaps a little extra tryptophan, and we're all set to go, ha ha yes"

"Well then you better proceed doctor"

"Ha right you are, uh, ma'am" with that he turned and headed back to reprimand the buffoon at the controls.

The director watched him for a little longer contemplating if she should get rid of him once the project was successful. The man was a genius, there was no doubt. He just annoyed her with his stupid little laugh and he was too money hungry. He would easily sell his findings to the highest bidder if he got the chance. She saw the dark haired X5 standing off in the corner cautiously watching the laboratory and all its occupants.

"Keep an eye on the dwarf" she said to herself looking in the X5's direction. A normal person would not have heard what she said but she knew the X5 had been listening to all her conversations.

The X5 nodded before returning to her task of scanning the room. 734 remembered when her sister Tinga was in that tank. How she struggled and fought and ultimately succumbed. Somewhere deep down she prayed that Max would not suffer the same fate. Orders were orders, but watching one's family die one by one, was another thing entirely.


	5. Chapter 4

**NeoGenesis**

**Chapter 4**

Street outside coffee shop

Logan walked from the coffee shop after showing Original Cindy how to make the assortment of coffees that she could not master the previous day. She was a quick learner and only after a few hours training she managed to make all the various flavours and mixtures without any assistance.

"Today those brothers are gonna come here and say that Original Cindy can make some serious caffeine, you'll see" she said waving goodbye to Logan as he headed down the street towards Howard's electronics.

He was just about to turn the corner when the obsessed blonde suddenly appeared.

"Ah there you are! Did you fix it! I need it, like, right now, so?"

"Good morning to you to!" Logan greeted sarcastically.

"Yeh hi, you have it?" She looked a bit agitated as she glanced down at her watch.

"I have it here, all fixed and ready but I can't just give it to you. You first have to sign a form to say that you are satisfied, and that all is in order. You know all the legal stuff. Then of course you have to settle your bill. This is a business you know." Logan smiled very diplomatically, slightly enjoying her agitation.

"Listen I don't really have time. Here's some money, just give me the computer I'm sure it's fine." She shoved some money at him then looked expectantly at his backpack.

"Well if you say so" Logan smiled then removed the computer and handed it to her. He added new encryptions so he knew she would have to come back anyway. She could settle the bill and paperwork then.

"It was a pleasure fixing it for you, miss?" He pretended, although he already knew her name after sniffing around on the computer the previous night.

"Thanks!" and with that she just grabbed the computer, turned around and left.

"Sure, see you later." Logan replied more to himself as she was already gone. He stood there contemplating the woman for a minute before heading over to Howard's electronics.

S1W hideout

"She's late!" A man said as he was pacing up and down in front of a dirty window that looked out at the street below.

"She'll be here, she's never let us down before" another man replied sitting casually at a table smoking a cigarette.

The door suddenly opened and the blond entered panting slightly from running up the stairs.

"Here it is" she said placing the computer in front of the man at the table.

"You see, she's a professional." The man at the table smiled at the woman then opened the laptop computer and tuned it on.

A screen blinked on and a small window popped up asking for a password. The man just sat quietly for a moment then turned to the woman with a bright smile. "You see Jimmy she even added some extra security measures. So what's the new password honey?"

Looking perplexed she shot forward to look at the screen. She just stared at it then with an angry gesture she snapped the screen closed.

The men looked at her expectantly not quite sure what just happened.

Thinking fast she quickly explained "I forgot the password. It was something complicated with numbers and stuff. I was in such a hurry to get here, and I didn't want to write it down, you know, just in case. I'll reset the password and get this back to you in an hour."

She reached out to take the computer but the man that was pacing the window stopped her.

"Why don't you just reset the password here and now, we can wait."

"Come on Jimmy, a little trust goes a long way. Let go have some breakfast, give the girl some space. What's one hour in today's economy anyway?"

Jimmy contemplated for a bit then gave up. "Fine but you better not be screwing with me. A lot of people need that computer working. The whole organization is dependent on this."

"I know that and Asha knows that. If it weren't for her we wouldn't even have this computer."

"One hour!" Jimmy said as he headed to the door glaring at Asha.

The man at the table rose and nodded cautiously with a concerned look at the girl before following Jimmy out.

Asha knew what that look meant. She'd seen it many times before when they were out in the streets on missions for the organisation and things weren't going according to plan. It meant people's lives were at stake, and every minute she wasted could be of great cost. So she grabbed the computer and started running...

NeoGenesis facility, recovery ward

Max slowly started to gain consciousness again. The first thing she became aware of is how incredibly thirsty she was. Her mouth was dry and her saliva made a sticky mess around her tongue. She tried to swallow but there wasn't enough moisture to help the process along. She then became aware that she was lying on a soft mattress and that there was a very bright light beyond her eyelids. She managed to open her eyes slightly but nothing more than a feint slit before they closed up again. All her muscles felt weak and she only had enough strength to lift he head slightly but her eyes remained stubbornly closed.

"She's coming awake." She heard a voice to her left and then the light dimmed slightly. The person must have obscured the light source when he came closer.

"Help me get her in an upright position. Easy now, she's still very fragile."

Max felt hands pulling her up on a pillow. She tried to support herself but she had no strength. Where was she and for how long has she been out. She tried to think but couldn't remember.

Someone then suddenly lifted one of her eyelids and shined a light into her eye. She tried to blink it away but couldn't.

"Pupils are responsive. 452, can you hear me, I'm Doctor Hanson. I'll be taking care of you from now on. Someone bring me some water please."

Max heard someone scurry off then focused again on the voice on her left, the one from Doctor Hanson.

"You were in a terrible battle, got very badly injured. We managed to fix you up though, as much we could anyway. She's very weak. Where's that water!"

"Here doctor!" The woman sounded a little out of breath as she obviously ran to get the requested water.

"Sip on this but slowly now, slowly." Doctor Hanson cautioned as he lower the glass so that Max could drink.

The liquid was cool when it touched her lips and immediately started to dissolve her sticky saliva. She tried to swallow but her throat was so dry she only managed to choke on the water.

"Easy" octor Handson cautioned.

The doctor continued to give her small amounts of water until she managed to swallow more freely. The water was so refreshing she could feel her whole body reacting the quenching liquid.

"There you go. Let's lay her flat again. Let her rest. We'll try something more solid in the morning. She's going to require a lot of rehab work. Her muscles are completely wasted. Margaret keep an eye on her please. I'll be back first thing in the morning."

"Yes doctor"

The whole exercise was exhausting and Max quickly fell back to sleep even before the Doctor turned the corner to leave.

The next morning Max slowly came awake again. She was thirsty again but not as badly as the day before. She managed to swallow then slowly opened her eyes. They responded this time and she saw that she was on a bed in a small room. There was a window on her left and she was facing a doorway that seemed to lead into a long hallway.

Where was she, how did she get here. She tried to remember something, anything. It felt like something was blocking her mind and that she just couldn't think.

She closed her eyes and opened them again hoping this would all go away but to no avail. The small little room with the window remained stubbornly in place. What was it the doctor said, she was in a battle, got very badly injured? Battle, what battle? She tried to focus on a battle, but still nothing.

The door opened and a skinny blonde nurse came in with some clean bed sheets.

"Oh!" she exclaimed slightly startled that the patient was fully awake.

Max tried to sit up but she did not have the strength.

"No don't do that. Here let me help you." The nurse came closer and lifted Max into a sitting position.

"You have been in a coma for almost three months. You need to take it easy for a while. Just until you get your strength back. Then they'll probably send you back to training." The nurse was cheerful and seemed like the chatting type.

"Where am I?" Max asked cautiously, her voice a bit raspy.

"The NeoGenesis facility, 452. This is the medical recovery ward. We only barely managed to save you from your injuries. Speaking of injuries, we need to get you prepared for dialysis. Don't want your body to give in now that you're finally awake again." She stated matter-of-factly and indicated towards a machine on Max's right. Max did not notice the thing standing there before. It wasn't very large, only a single square apparatus that looked slightly bulky with many pipes sticking out of it.

"What!" Max looked back at the woman somewhat surprised.

"Dialysis, dear, dialysis. Not to worry. We hook you up to the machine twice a day for about two hours and you're all set and ready to go. We could keep you alive forever if we wanted to, no joke!"

She sounded like she was actually joking. Max just kept on staring at her, not sure if the woman was mad or if she just took her job in stride, pretending like nothing was wrong with what she just said.

The door opened again and an average sized man with light brown hair entered. He was probably in his early forties and seemed quite athletic as he strode in with his long legs, a broad smile on his face.

"452, you're finally awake. I was getting worried." Turning to the nurse he stated, "Margaret, you can start the machine up, while I look the patient over." The nurse nodded and walked over to the machine.

"I'm going to ask you a few simple questions, and do a few simple exercises, ready."

"Sure" Max just looked on as the nurse started preparing needles and the doctor searched through his notes.

"Your designation is 452 is that correct?"

'_452, yes I know that number' _she thought. Her mind suddenly reacted with images of kids marching down a corridor, training in a yard and watching propaganda videos. Duty, discipline, strength. The words came before she could stop herself. "X5-452, sir!"

"Excellent! Do you know where you are?"

"Manticore?"

"No but we are affiliated. This is the NeoGenesis facility. Do you know how you got here?"

"No" Max tried to remember but her mind was fuzzy.

"Yes this was expected. You have been comatosed for quite some time."

Max was temporarily distracted by the nurse sticking two needles into her veins. She didn't really feel the needles entering but still flinched involuntarily. She watched as her blood left her body, run through the machine and re-entered her body again through another needle in her arm.

"Machine is running. It should be finished in about an hour and a half, doctor."

"Thank you Margaret. There is a tray outside with some food, help the patient to eat something. I'll be back when the machine is done to start with rehabilitation." Turning back to Max with his cheerful smile he quipped "Exercise, so much fun!"

With that he turned and left a still very weak and confused Max staring after him.


	6. Chapter 5

**NeoGensis**

**Chapter 5**

NeoGenesis facility

Max was awake staring at the ceiling of her room. It was strange to call it a room because the door and windows were barred and she wasn't allowed to leave without permission. She felt more like she was in a prison than in a hospital. The guard said it was for her own protection. Protection from what! They were in the middle of nowhere. If only she could remember why she was here in the first place. What happened?

She's been at the recovery facility for quite some time but she still could not remember.

The door creaked then suddenly opened. X5-734 was standing in the doorway with her usual 'I don't have time to stand around' attitude. "Let's go 452 we've got work to do!"

With 'work' she meant training. Doctor Hanson described it as 'fun', but it wasn't fun. Every exercise was a test and in every test she was expected to perform better. If she didn't she had to redo the whole exercise, and these exercises, sometimes lasted weeks. The only reprieve was when she had to go for treatment at the clinic. Doctor Hanson always came by during the two hour dialysis sessions and encouraged her, with the same old verse; "To overcome your weaknesses you must perform better than those who are of good health, for only then will they accept and respect you as one of their own." Sometimes she imagined him as being some sort of prophet. No matter how bad things got, he always came by, always smiled and exchanged a few words. This gave her strength and made her fight and train harder and harder every time she went out in the field.

She was already dressed and ready so she got off her bunk and followed 734 outside. Sunlight just touched her face when she was ambushed by two of the guards at the doorway. They were always there, watching those who came and left. They never spoke to her and always pretended not to see her. So she didn't see it coming.

She was heading out after 734 when they came up behind her. One grabbed her right arm and twisted it around her back while the other hit her on the back of her head with the butt of his weapon. The weapon struck with a thud. Max was forced to her knees and her hands tied behind her back before a black hood was drawn over her head. It all happened so fast she didn't even have time to react. Still slightly disoriented she tried to twist from the grasp of her attackers only to receive another blow to the head.

"You must always be vigilant, 452" came the voice of 734, cold and emotionless. "Take her to the pit."

She felt them dragging her across the gravel. She grounded her feet and with X5 strength stood upright and attempted to throw off her attackers. If they were ordinary men they would have halted in their tracks, and Max would have thrown them aside like rag dolls, but these men were no ordinary men. The more she resisted the harder they pulled, never faltering in their step. There was no way she could fight off three transgenics, all of which had more experience and training than she had.

'_Dammit!'_ she thought, there was no escape.

Max tried to stay on her feet while they were dragging her along but the gravel was too loose and her feet kept sliding out from under her. She finally managed to hop along as they were dragging her, when all of a sudden she was flying through the air. She wasn't prepared for the fall and landed hard on the concrete surface below. She lay still for a moment waiting for the pain to subside then stood awkwardly, still blindfolded and with her hands tied behind her back.

She heard someone else land softly on the concrete surface a small distance away.

"A lot easier if you can see!" she quipped trying to get a response so that she could judge his position. Two others also landed softly some distance away.

"Now what's the fun in that" replied a male voice before stepping closer and attacking.

Max was anticipating this and jumped away in the opposite direction. In the same movement she swung her arms under her legs and brought them up so that they were now in a more natural frontal position. Taking a few more steps back she pulled the hood off her face just in time to dodge another blow.

"Seriously?! You from an old age home or something? I know an elderly that moves faster than that" she mocked her attacker who was now clearly visible.

He stood slightly aside as if unsure what to do next. He underestimated his opponent.

"Come on grandpa, I haven't got all day."

This seemed to have worked as he gave an annoyed shrug before launching another attack. Max was ready for him. He threw a right hand punch which she easily dodged. He then brought up his left which she caught in the hood she was holding. She then twisted the hood around his arm while at the same time stepping closer. Involuntarily he pulled his arm towards himself in an attempt to push her away. This was just what she wanted and before he could do anything she pulled the end of the hood that was still open tightly over his head. He stumbled backwards in the awkward sling, unable to see as the material covered his eyes. Before he could rescue himself with his right hand, Max kicked him in the head sending him flying.

"Like I said, grandpa, easier if you can see" she said to the now unconscious man.

She started biting at her bonds while she observed her surroundings. She was in some sort of round hole. The sides were very steep, going straight upwards which ensured that there was no way to climb up. The only way out was a small door in the one wall. Max wanted to head that way but another soldier and 734 were in the hole waiting for her.

"So which one of you brought a knife" she joked indicating her bound hands.

734 glanced at the unconscious soldier before focusing on Max again. "Not bad 452, now let's see if you can take down two of us."

Before Max could reply they both attacked her at once.

Howard's electronics

"Ow, dammit!" Logan cursed as he accidentally touched the hot end of the solder to his finger. He was a little distracted by the events of the last few days and wasn't concentrating on the task at hand.

"S.. sure yo.. you don't want me to do t... that." Skip asked concerned as Logan examined his finger.

"Thanks buddy, I got it! Just have to be careful." Logan replied as he turned and smiled reassuringly at his new friend.

There was suddenly a loud noise from the front of the shop. Logan placed the soldering tool back on its stand before standing up to go see what was going on. Before he was fully on his feet, the crazed blonde from the day before came crashing through the door. She came straight at him. Logan, caught off guard, tried to avoid her advance while trying to stand at the same time. The movement twisted his mechanical legs at an awkward angle. Before he could correct his blunder he ended up tripping over his own chair and landed smack on his left servomotor. The mechanical legs started their awkward tap dance as they were short circuited. The blond didn't seem to notice and jumped right on top of him. She grabbed him around his throat and strangled him.

"What did you do! WHAT DID YOU DO!"

Logan decided that getting her off his neck was more important than his dancing legs so he reached up and pulled her hands away. Being in a wheelchair had its perks, especially the increased upper body strength one developed while dragging oneself around.

"Calm down would you" he replied hoarsely. He tried to catch his breath while he held her arms firmly. She was frantically trying to free herself but couldn't move her arms as he held her.

"Let go! LET GO!" she yelled as she tried to knee him in the groin. This proved very difficult as his legs were dancing all over the show.

Logan finally threw her aside then reached down to turn off his exoskeleton. Unfortunately he was too late. The internal microchips were already fried and gave a last loud fizz before he legs just died. Logan stared at his legs, utterly perplexed, when the mad blonde, or as he now thought of her as 'she-demon', came at him again.

She came from behind and twisted her arm around his neck. He couldn't pull her off and remain balanced in a seating position at the same time without any leg muscles, so instead he tried to roll over hoping the momentum would throw her off. This ended in utter disaster as he just couldn't garner enough momentum without his legs and therefore landed on his face, with the blond still on his neck.

Luckily for him, Howard came to his rescue. He lifted the woman easily off the ground and threw her in a nearby chair. She seemed to calm down, intimidated by the big man's strength.

Logan rolled himself over again, and lay on his back exhausted. "Thanks boss" was all he could manage.

"So what was that about, and what is that smell" the big man looked from Logan to the blond then around the room making sure nothing was on fire. Logan could feel the blood flowing to his face, as he also smelled the burnt wires of his exoskeleton.

"You need me to call an ambulance" Howard said suddenly looking concerned at the red faced Logan who was still sprawled out on the floor.

Logan just shook his head then started dragging his lower body until he was in a sitting position against the wall. Seeing the concerned faces, even the blondes, now staring at him he quickly replied, "nothing an ambulance can fix unless they have spare robotics parts." He flinched involuntarily at the sudden sharp pain in his back. He must have pulled a muscle during the fight.

Everyone was just staring at him unsure what to do. Logan decided he better give a better explanation. "Gangsters shot me in the back a while back, blew up my spinal cord, my legs don't work. Was wearing an exoskeleton that helped me walk, which she just broke" he indicated Asha with his head as he was using his hands to remain upright. "So I'm not going anywhere" he concluded matter-of-factly.

"What?" Everyone just continued staring at him.

'_Dammit' _he thought, '_I'll have to pull my pants down now.'_

So he continued to do just that. "Exoskeleton! See!"

"Oh, I always t..thought you have cool shoes, man, that m..made squeak…y n…n…noises" Skip replied inspecting the contraption.

"Thanks, now can you please hand me my phone so that I can call a friend to bring me a wheelchair." Logan was slightly annoyed and somewhat embarrassed now.

"Sorry I didn't know" replied Asha apologetically. "You just messed up the computer."

"I didn't mess it up, I fixed it. If you were a little less rude and a bit more patient this morning I would have explained everything. The password is 'ruby', that's what you came for isn't it?" He grabbed his phone from Skip and called Bling.

"Yeh" Asha got up and left not making eye contact with anyone.

NeoGenesis facility, the pit

Max was used to pain, but this was insane. For every punch she blocked she received another. They were all over and from every angle. After a while she stopped resisting. There was no way she could fight two X5 soldiers even with both hands untied. Another kick in the head and the real world slowly started to fade. Her mind started wandering to another place and time as the real world turned into mush. Images and sounds started to cloud her vision.

_A small boy staring at her suddenly turned and rushed inside the derelict building behind him. She was laughing quickly following. She heard his footsteps down a hallway turning left. She took a short cut through a broken wall. He was just coming around the corner when she caught him while he was still running. "Gotcha!" He giggled while she tickled him._

"_All right you two, time to go." She let the boy go and he ran up to his mother. "Thanks for getting our electricity back Max. Would not have had any birthday cake for Omar otherwise."_

"_Oh, I thought that was for me" Max replied with a sad face. "And me," the boy replied excitedly. They all laughed as they headed to the elevator._

Slam! Max felt her ribs crack.

"_I cannot go in there alone!"_

"_Sketchy I also have deliveries to make to dangerous parts of town. You go in, ask for a signature, and give them the package. You don't talk to them. You don't even look at them"_

_She shoved a square box at a scruffy, scared looking man. She then turned and walked away._

"_But they threatened to remove my manly parts if they ever saw me again." He came rushing after her a pleading look in his eyes._

"_The only reason they would want to remove your manly parts is if you did something stupid." She said slightly angry._

"_Yeah, okay," he replied looking guiltily at his feet. "I kind of borrowed some money and ..."_

"_Idiot," she cut him off before grabbing the package and leaving._

"_You're awesome Max," he replied to her retreating back._

"Urf!" Max hit the concrete floor again. They were circling her now, waiting for her to stand up.

_They were sitting at a small table concentrating on the small black and white pieces on the chequered board. Max was smiling. He had a frown on his face, looking from one piece to another as if making sure they don't suddenly move by themselves._

"_Logan?"_

"_Huh?"_

"_You gonna move?"_

_He looked up at her while he was still leaning towards the board. Seeing her smiling face, he looked down again and with a defeated gesture moved the pawn._

_Max jumped forward with a triumphant "check mate!"_

_Logan sat back in his chair and stared at the chess board with a blank expression. "Right, coffee."_

_Max had to force herself not to laugh._

Max laughed. Somehow the pain seemed a bit more bearable now. They were still circling her, waiting for her to stand up. The longer she remained crouched down, the better she started to feel. The pain seemed to subside. 734 was passing in front of her now, the other man was somewhere behind her. If she pounced now she might be able to knock Brin off her feet which would give her a fighting chance with the other man. '_Brin, that was her name'_ she thought. Her side still hurt but her breathing was more even and her head felt clear. It was now or never.

She suddenly shot forward in 734's direction. The other soldier wasn't expecting this sudden movement, and therefore didn't react in time. Max used both her hands, which were still bound, as a hammer and slammed them into 734's chest using all of her momentum and body weight to increase the force. 734 was knocked back onto the concrete. She didn't get up.

'_One down, one to go'_ Max thought getting ready for her next opponent.

He came up fast. She managed to block most of his attacks but he still managed to land a few. They kept going until exhaustion forced them to stop. They were both standing a few feet apart staring at each other.

"You fight well 452" the man said.

"Not bad yourself" she replied.

"X5-752, and you know 734. That there is 361" he introduced himself and Brin then indicated his buddy who was now groggily standing on his knees, removing the sling Max had wrapped around him. He wasn't going to join this fight again anytime soon so Max ignored him and continued staring at her still exhausted opponent. Just then the door opened and Doctor Hanson entered with a medical team.

Max did not notice the group of people standing at the dge of the pit. Renfro was among them along with Doctor James Harth and McAdams.

"It seems we could begin phase two. How far are the new test subjects from completion Doctor McAdams?" The director asked the short dwarfish man.

"Another week, ha yes."

"Very well, we'll start phase two in a week when the other test subjects are ready to be stem cell donors. Thank you gentlemen." The men all left the side of the pit.

Doctor Hanson and the other medical team were already evacuating the pit. They were taking all the soldiers to the clinic. '_Everything is coming together nicely'_, Renfro thought. In a few more months she would be able to produce extra super soldiers. No one would be able to stop her then.


	7. Chapter 6

**NeoGenesis**

**Chapter 6**

NeoGenesis facility

Max was pacing the examination room. Doctor Hanson brought her here then left to attend to the wounds of the other X5's. That's when reality hit. She was the one they attacked, bound and beat up, yet she's not the one the medical personnel are concerned about. In fact, she wasn't even concerned herself. There was blood but no open wounds, just bruises. Apart from that her memory was also returning. She remembered the attack on Manticore and taking a bullet. She didn't quite remember how the attack happened in the first place, but that was the least of her concerns right now.

'_Dammit, what's taking so long'_, she thought continuing her pacing as she waited for Hanson, and some answers. They left two guards at her door as they always did. This was supposed to be a facility where they cared for soldiers unfit for battle. She was unsure about that at first but now she knew it's just lies. She lost a heart not a kidney. What were they really doing? Her head was spinning with questions and the pacing was only making it worse, so she decided to sit on the side of the bed instead.

It was another hour before Handson returned. Max was so lost in thought she gave a small start when he suddenly appeared before her.

"Well it's about time!" Her anger immediately subsided when she saw how dreary and tired he looked. As usual he just smiled. "How are you feeling?"

"I have to get out of here." She said it before she could stop herself. "They were trying to kill me."

Handson pulled a chair closer and sat down. He thought a moment then replied, "That was just a training exercise, and you can't leave, you need your treatment otherwise …."

"Yeh right. If I can heal from wounds that fast, I can probably grow new kidneys too. Besides I took a bullet in the chest not in my lower back."

Handson flinched at that. Suddenly he looked more exhausted. "You remember?"

"Some" she shrugged. She didn't care anymore. She was too agitated and tired of not knowing what was going on, or why she was held up here at this facility.

He looked at her long and hard. "What?" Max said irritated.

He took deep breath then replied. "I cannot help you, not the way you want me to, but perhaps ….." He thought a moment then continued. "Let me give you some advice. Keep your memories to yourself, and do what is asked of you. It will not be easy, but if you can gain their trust, they'll let you be. Maybe even let you out from time to time, on missions perhaps."

"Right, missions. Like the one where I have to collect ten hair samples, after I've hacked off a few heads." She stood and continued her pacing. "What do they want with me? And don't tell me missions."

"Your stem cells" he replied softly as he stood up to leave.

"Wait, what ….."

He stopped her before she could continue. "Keep your head down, do what you're told. Be vigilant, someone is bound to slip up. That's all we can hope for."

"We?" She asked as he opened the door.

He just smiled and then left shutting the door behind him. She did not fail to note the two shadows of the guards at her door returning to their posts as before.

Logan's penthouse

Logan was making coffee, sitting in his wheelchair, while rummaging through his mail on his lap with a phone to his right ear. "Okay thanks Krit. I'll leave the keys on the kitchen counter. Right see you then."

'_Bills, bills and some more bills.' _If it weren't for the informant nets willing donations, he would have never been able to pay for all these, he thought staring at his mail. He gathered them up and chucked them on the kitchen counter along with his phone and car keys. The water finished boiling so he poured himself a cup with one hand while he steadied himself with the other. His first few weeks in the chair had many unforgettable mishaps which involved a lot of falling. '_I miss my exo already.' _The little incident with Asha a few days ago had left the chip in his exo completely fried. Last time he had Max to ….. '_No I shouldn't think about that. I can manage with the chair.'_

He took the cup and shoved in between his knees before he rolled himself to his computer room. He was working on some information for the S1W regarding prescription medication for retired veterans that were substituted for less effective generic medication packaged as the prescribed medicine. The documentation that he had proved that a company named _Phentrim _was responsible for the packaging of these false medications, and that they were distributing this to the military subsidized clinics and medical centres. The man who signed the contract was a General Martin Davis.

He removed a disc from its case and stuck it into the computer perhaps a bit too forcefully. '_Probably won't even thank me for this'_ he mused as he copied the files over. He sat back and sipped his coffee planning his day. He still had two appointments with informants and afterward he had to go to Cindy's coffee shop to meet with Krit. He had a little accident after his encounter with Asha. He was so angry driving home that he turned too quickly into his parking space and almost removed the front bumper of his Aztec against an adjacent car. Krit said he knows someone who can fix it quickly without excessive charges. It's been a while since he last saw the X5s that helped him and Max during the attack on Manticore. He was curious to know how they were doing. '_They're doing fine you idiot, their X5s. You're the only one who's suffering.' _He placed the empty coffee cup on the desk, grabbed the disc and wheeled himself to the door. '_I have a lot to do today so there won't be time for grief__'_he thought.

NeoGenesis facility

"_I'm almost done. Let me just fry some onions." Logan said as he wheeled himself over to the vegetables on the counter._

_Max quickly stole a bite from the sauce while Logan was occupied with the onions and his back was turned. It was delicious and rich as always. They were lucky today and managed to get some mince from the market. It wasn't much but at least they could add some to the sauce to give it some extra flavour. It would be perfect with pasta for which Max was supposed to boil the water, which she did, in between the sneaked bites._

"_That water boiling yet?" He asked glancing in her direction._

"Why the hell are you still in BED!"

Max suddenly woke from her peaceful dream.

"GET UP!"

One of the sergeants was standing over her, yelling right in her ear.

"Sir!" She jumped up and started dressing. He didn't even bother to look away as she removed some of her clothes, but scanned over her body with his eyes before he replied: "training yard five minutes 452." He turned and left.

'_Dammit, I never oversleep'_ Max thought, but as she headed out to the training yard she realized she hadn't, it was still dark outside.

752 was waiting for her in the ring. '_Great now I can kick his ass again_.' She had grown fond of 752. He was friendly and witty. Apart from that he was also good looking. Dark hair, blue eyes, and a handsome strong face. He gave her a sexy smile as he watched her approach. Max wasn't fooled by that, men like him were trained to use their charm to flatter opponents and manipulate them to their will. Max pictured a red hand print from a hard smack across his face and couldn't help but smile back. '_Definitely giving him one of those'_ she thought.

"One on one, you know I'm gonna kick your ass right." She said as she stepped onto the training mat.

"I'm supposed to show you some new techniques. They say you fight like a cross eyed crab. I guess they felt sorry for you." he rolled his head from side to side looking at her queerly as if to imitate the crab he described.

Max jumped forward and gave him that hard earned smack across the face.

"Ow! Why do women always go for the face?" He said rubbing his cheek. Max just smiled that innocent smile she always gives to make her look like an innocent girl that could never hurt anyone.

"Oh I see. This is your way of letting your enemies know you're not just going to roll over and open your legs" Max's smile vanished, the sergeants probing eyes still vivid in her memory. 752 continued without noticing: "That's a good thing but were not here to practice _those _techniques right …. Oghw! He was quick enough to evade Max's well placed kick to the groin but her foot still caught him in the upper leg. He grabbed her foot and twisted her off balance. She used her momentum as she fell and brought up her other leg kicking him on the nose. He let go and stepped back a few paces covering his face with his hands as blood ran down his chin.

"What the hell are you doing?!" It was the stupid sergeant again. "Your here to practice defensive techniques. Obviously you still have too much aggression 452. Perhaps we should take you back to the pit!" He walked onto the mat then noticed the blood dripping from 752's face. "What are you standing around for you dim witted fool. Get to it!"

"But my nose" 752 replied a bit wheezy.

"I don't give a damn about your nose!"

So they sparred for the rest of the day, practicing the techniques they were shown. With their instructors keeping a close eye, there wasn't much time for talk. 752 was still bleeding from the nose, but after some time the blood started to congeal and ceased flowing. He was breathless after successive rounds not being able to breath properly through his nose. Max deliberately slowed the pace to give him some time to recover. He gave her a grateful smile.

They were only allowed to leave when darkness crept back in again. The blood on 752's face was dried up and crusty, his nose and middle face was bloated with a blue-pink tinge. As they were heading back to base he didn't say anything, but she could see he was in pain.

"I'm sorry about your nose" Max said while they were walking.

He gave her a queer smile but didn't reply.

"So why are you here? I mean I'm a traitor who tried to blow up Manticore, but you, what did you do?" He just looked at her then smiled again. In a very stuffy tone he said: "I remained loyal, like you."

Before Max could ask what he meant, he jogged off towards the medical wing leaving Max with no choice but to head back to her bunk (or cell rather) to turn in for the night. She wanted to follow him, but there were guards everywhere and she did not want to provoke them. They usually did not need much of an excuse to beat her up. '_To many secrets, too many rules_,' she thought, '_time to bail outta here.'_

Cindy's coffee shop

Logan was exhausted. The exoskeleton was a commodity that has now cost him the strength in his arms. They were aching from the strain of wheeling himself around all day over uneven sidewalks and muddy, parks. As he entered Cindy's coffee shop he noticed Asha sitting on a bench near the window. He wanted to see her, but did not think she would be hanging around the coffee shop. He was tired, still slightly mad at her, but somehow grateful that he didn't have to go prancing around trying to find her. '_As good a time as any_' he thought. Painfully he wheeled himself over. Asha looked up from her paper as he approached.

"Mind if I join you?"

Asha frowned. "What are you doing here?"

Taking that as an invitation Logan wheeled himself opposite her. "I was waiting for the mechanic to bring my car keys, saw you sitting here all by yourself …..."

"Right next thing you're gonna tell me you have a twin and you're the nice one. Why are you stalking me?"

Logan shrugged, "I forgot to give you something when you came by to get your password." He slid a case with a disc across the table towards her.

"What's this?" Asha said giving the case a sceptical glance not intent on reaching out towards it.

"A gift" Logan replied smiling at her discomfort.

"I don't want your gifts. You've already caused too much trouble. Just leave me alone." She moved as if to stand but Logan stopped her. He saw Krit pulling up on the sidewalk.

"No sit, I'll go. My car just pulled up outside. Take the gift or burn it, just don't leave it lying around. Might just fall into the wrong hands." Annoyed he turned and wheeled out again. As Krit climbed out he greeted Logan with a self-satisfied grin, throwing the keys for Logan to catch. "Good as new, like I said."

"Never doubted you. I owe you one."

Krit just shrugged. "I have to get going, things to do. See ya!" With that he turned and walked off.

'_Just like Max'_ Logan thought. Willing to help but never wanting to get too close or too friendly. He even looked a bit like her. '_No time for grief.' _He was right about the car though. With a new bumper and a polished shine it hasn't had in years, it looked almost new. Logan threw the keys in the air, caught them again and rolled himself towards the driver side curious to see if anything else was new.

Manticore, director's office

Renfro was pacing her office again. Things were going too slowly with the NeoGenesis program. The two new subjects should have been in recovery already, but for some reason they were still in the tanks. She was waiting for the dwarf to call and report their current progress. She gave a small start when the phone suddenly rang. Cursing she walked to her desk and grabbed the phone.

"Renfro"

"Ma'am this is …." Impatiently she cut him short. "I know who this is, what do you have for me?"

He must have gotten the message because he got straight to the point. "The two subjects have been removed from the tanks and are currently in recovery. They're making good progress, yes."

"Good. Inform the others to proceed with phase two of project 452. I've been receiving some bad reports on lack of discipline with that one. I hope not to receive another." She slammed the phone down not waiting for a reply. The dwarf was just a liability; she did not really need him anymore. '_Perhaps I should get rid of him now_' she thought, smiling.

Logan's penthouse

When Logan entered his apartment, Bling was waiting for him. He had a duffel bag near his feet.

"Hey Bling, going somewhere?" Logan asked as he slowly wheeled himself to his computer room. His arms were tired and each stroke of the wheels caused a sudden pain in his muscles.

"Yeh, a distant cousin is getting married, nobody you know. Not really that important but somehow couldn't talk my way out of it. Been a while since I've seen the family. You alright?" He gave Logan a worried look as he saw the effort it took for him to move.

"Exo's made me lazy, and without the car... long day. When you going to be back?" He finally reached his computer and turned it on. '_Just going to check my mail, then I can sleep_.'

"About two days, maybe three, depends. You gonna be alright?" Bling was standing behind him now, his arms crossed in his usual 'don't make me ask you twice' way.

"No worries mom." Logan smiled.

"Right. Get some rest." He walked back to his bag. Logan didn't even reply he just felt too tired. The front door closed as Logan's emails opened. It was the usual daily stuff with informants checking in, sending some info here and there, but nothing major. He sent the required replies then turned the system off again. He was about halfway to his room when the phone rang.

"Agh great." He wheeled himself back to the kitchen counter, grabbed the phone and somewhat rudely answered: "Yeh?"

"Hi. I was told to call this number if I needed help." The woman's voice sounded somewhat uncertain perhaps scared. Feeling slightly guilty, Logan replied more gently: "This is the right number. How can I help you?"

"I'm looking for …. Max. Uh …. my name … I'm Hannah."

Logan clenched his jaw.'_No time for grief.'_


	8. Chapter 7

**NeoGenesis**

**Chapter 7**

NeoGenesis facility

The air was cold and chilly as Max made her way across the training ground. The slight chill cooled the perspiration on her skin giving some reprieve to her exertion. They've been running around with packs full of heavy gear and equipment for almost nineteen hours. Max was starting to feel the strain in her shoulders and lower back and her legs were also starting to cramp up. She glanced across at 752 his face was red and he was also panting heavily. His nose still seemed lightly red with a small lesion across the bridge. She wanted to say that an ice cold soda would be nice, but her throat was dry and speaking required strength she did not have. So she just continued running in their endless circle around the training yard.

It lasted for about another two hours before they were stopped and ordered to go to the infirmary. So they removed they backpacks and slowly walked back to the main building. They went straight to the nearest sink once they were inside the infirmary and started gulping down mouthfuls of water. Max was on her second swallow when she felt something sharp in her neck. She looked around to find Doctor Harth with some guards behind him. He was saying something about phase two but she was too exhausted to really listen and her mind was already drifting from the drug they have given her. So she just closed her eyes and slumped to the floor.

Logan's penthouse, parking garage

As Logan drove out of the parking area a woman suddenly appeared in front of the car. Logan rammed the brakes causing the car to skid violently. The woman came around and opened the passenger door. It was Asha.

"Was that necessary!?" Logan complained as she settled and buckled herself in.

"Nice to see you too" she replied casually.

"What are you doing?! Get out of my car!" Logan said indignantly as he noticed the seat-belt.

"I'm not leaving until you tell me where you got that disc" She folded her arms over the seat belt in defiance.

"I ..." He was interrupted by his phone ringing again. "What!" He answered still rattled by this woman.

"This a bad time" replied Krit from the other end of the line without a hint of emotion.

"No, sorry. I tried to get hold of you earlier. I need to borrow the truck."

"Sure, I'll drop it at Howard's"

"Thanks" then he hung up. "How did you know I live here?" He asked her seriously.

"I have my ways" she replied uncaring.

"Ah you followed me here" Logan deduced from her answer.

"Are you armed?" Logan asked Asha as he put his phone down.

"What?" Asha answered looking at him queerly.

"There's a gun in the glove compartment. If you're not going to get out of the car, you might as well prepare yourself. This is going to be a rough ride." He waited a moment for her to decide. Asha just glared at him stubbornly before opening the glove compartment and removing the gun. She loaded the weapon with a snap before looking back at Logan and demanding, "Drive!"

Logan couldn't help but smile as he sped off.

NeoGenesis facility

"WAKE UP! Wake up! Damn you, get up!"

Someone was roughly shaking Max awake. She finally managed to open her eyes only to find Doctor Handson standing over her and shaking her with muffled curses as he was trying to wake her.

"Wha...?"

"No what, get up! Hurry! Put this on." He was roughly tugging her up and shoving some clothes into her arms.

It was only then that she realised she wasn't wearing anything. She was lying on a cold aluminium table with a blue surgical cloth covering her body. She could smell antiseptic and her arm as partly covered in iodine. She pulled the clothes on and jumped of the table. She almost fell over someone lying on the floor. It was one of the doctors dressed in his surgical coat and mask. A few other people were also strewn across the room. Sill half drugged and slightly off balance she was inspecting the surgical blades and saws lying on the floor. They were still clean. She was still contemplating the meaning of this in her foggy state of mind when doctor Handson suddenly appeared again and pulled her out of the room.

"Come on, come, we don't have time!" It was 752 that was waiting in the corridor waving them on. I have secured a vehicle for us but we only have a small time frame. If the alarms should go before we get there, we're done for."

"We'll make it, we have to." Doctor Handsom replied more confidently than he looked.

Max stumbled again. This time 752 threw her over his shoulder and carried her like a sack of potatoes to the door.

"Is this really necessary" Max slurred trying to wriggle free.

752 ignored her and continued his running pace. When they reached the door he was already panting heavily. She realised he was still wearing the outfit he was given when they went running earlier. The sweat stains were evident on his back where he carried the backpack filled with equipment and gear.

"Are we clear?" He asked the doctor as they reached the door.

Doctor Handson arranged his slightly crumpled coat and briskly walked out the door as if he was heading somewhere. He glanced left, right then turned back. "Clear come on!"

They were running again. Max's head was just starting to clear when suddenly a loud siren went off. Red lights above the door started flickering and voices could be heard from all over the compound.

"Stairs, take the stairs!" 752 yelled as they reached the corner.

Max got crunched in the gut as they were descending with 752 skipping every second step. Suddenly they burst through a door and was outside in a makeshift parking area, somewhat overgrown with weeds.

"There's the car. Go go!"

Doctor Handson was already starting the engine when Max was roughly shoved into the back seat.

752 slammed the door shut and ran around to the front passenger side. He was about to open the door when a shot rang out. He slammed against the car then slumped down. Max opened the back door. 752 was on the tarmac with blood oozing from a wound in his chest. Max grabbed his arms and pulled him into the car. More shots were being fired now from all around them.

"Go!"

The car shot forward as doctor Handson applied pressure to the gas. Max was flung off balance and ended in a tangle with 752

"They've close the gate. We're not going to make it"

Max pushed 752 to the side then climbed over to the front. She leaned over the doctor and stepped on the throttle.

"What are you doing" he yelled distressed as they sped towards the gate. Max had seen the gate before. It was well enforced but the car was an old Hummer H3 and could easily break through if they had the right momentum. 752 must have seen this as well; why else would he have selected such a memorable vehicle for them to escape in.

There was a loud bang with scraping of metal on metal as they tore through the gate and onto the tar road leading out of the facility. Max kept her foot down until they reached more open road before she handed control of the vehicle back to doctor Handson. He was holding the steering wheel with both shaking hands.

Some final shots followed them down the road, the suddenly all they could hear was the hum of the wheels on the road.

"We have to get rid of this car. Where are we?" Max was scanning her surroundings but it was all unfamiliar to her.

"I don't know where we are. They brought me here in a helicopter, with blacked out windows." He was still shaky but recovering.

Max glanced back to make sure no one was following them. They caught them off guard but that doesn't mean they won't pursue them soon. She looked at 752 and realised he's not breathing. She reached back to feel his pulse, but he was already dead. The bullet must have pierced some vital organ.

"We have to get as much distance between us and the facility. We'll have to ditch the car soon too."

"We need the car! How are we supposed to get away" replied the doctor distressed.

"We find another car, one not as recognizable as this one" and before she could stop herself "what the hell just happened?"

Outside sector 7

Logan crept up close to the fence.

"So what are we doing here" Asha asked slightly anxiously, yet excited.

"We're picking someone up" Logan replied as he scanned the opposite side of the fence.

"No kidding" Asha said with sarcasm dripping off every syllable. "Why the fancy truck, and how are you going to get them over the fence. This part of town is always electrified, hence why nobody ever crosses here."

"Hence the fancy truck" Logan returned the sarcasm, pretending like she's supposed to know what is going on in his all too intelligent mind. The woman just annoyed him sometimes, but he regretted being nasty at once. It was good to have someone around to watch his back, and since she was giving him the 'you're an asshole' look, he tried to explain: "Look I have a contact at the municipality who can temporarily switch the power off, but I have to cover his tracks so nobody notices. Therefore I need the truck because it has the equipment I need to hack into the system and block the camera feeds as well as the alarm systems that will start screaming when the power fails. We have to do it quickly and in perfect coordination otherwise someone gets electrified, and we will be executed."

"Oh" She just sat there quietly trying to piece together his hurried explanation. Then as if realization suddenly hit, "you can do that?"

"Yeh" Logan replied then smiled triumphantly at himself. '_Yeh I can do that'_ he thought.

Just then two women and a girl in her teens appeared around the corner on the opposite side of the fence. They were walking slowly and cautiously, prepared to run at any moment. Logan turned his lights on to show them he was the one they were supposed to meet. Relief could be seen clearly on their faces as they started to jog closer to the fence.

"Show time!" Logan started transferring himself to the seat just behind his. It was a practised feat. He would shift the back of the seat to its lowest position then drag himself backwards and into the seat of the 'command centre' as he called it. Once he was positioned he called to Asha who was still admiring his way of shifting around without legs.

"Hey when I give you the all clear, start flashing the lights. That will signal them to move through, or under in this case." He was already tapping away at his computer.

Asha shifted towards the driver's seat. The driver side was heavily modified for a paraplegic. It was crude yet extraordinary work. Two plastic feet were resting on the fuel and clutch pedal and were connected to some sort of hydraulic device that was attached by wires to the steering wheel. It seemed like the whole contraption could be removed to also allow for normal people to drive the car. "I was wondering how you managed to drive this" she said looking back at Logan but he was so consumed in his work he didn't even hear.

"JC can you hear me? Yeh we're all set" Logan continued tapping some more then looked to Asha mouthing "Now".

She started flicking the lights and the people on the other side of the fence scrambled to crawl under. The young girl went first, then her mother and lastly the blonde woman. She was about halfway through when Logan gave a curse and then asked frantically "are they through?" before a loud bang and sparks ignited the woman's shoes. She was screaming while the others tried to quench the flames.

Logan moved himself to the door which he flung open with perhaps a bit too much force. Asha was already out running to help the others lift the woman into the truck. As soon as everyone was in the truck Logan and Asha simultaneously said, "Asha you'll have to drive", "I can't drive with the funny thing..."

They both gave a moment of pause before Logan started explaining how to get the car back into normal mode so that Asha could drive. As soon as they were on their way, he removed the loop from the cameras leaving just a small black streak across the ground as evidence that anyone was ever near the fence.

Somewhere in the woods

They watched as the car burned a fiery grave for 752. Max still couldn't believe the events of the past few hours. From what Handson explained they were going to amputate her arm to see if she had the regenerative capabilities to re-grow a limb. It was 752 and Handson who stopped it. Handson told 752 that Max knew where to find Lydecker and that saving her would help him get their old commander back. They were planning an escape for a while now, but Renfro's sudden urge to chop Max into small pieces forced them to move their time frame.

"Renfro's insane. I've heard reports from the main facility. She's forcing the transgenics to breed since they don't have embryos for in vitro fertilization any more. Those that don't obey have to go through re-indoctrination, the worst kind. I just... I can't do this anymore. The things they ask me to do..."

"That why you helped me, to make amends?"

"I past making amends. I told you I cannot help you, that was the truth. 752 had all the details. I was only supposed to get you to the infirmary, that's all. You and he were supposed to escape and come back for me later with Lydecker and the other 09 escapees. Then you would have taken Manticore back. I'm no soldier. I cannot help you, I cannot fight." Handson explained utterly defeated standing with his shoulders slumped and staring at the flames.

"My brothers and sisters are more likely to burn Manticore down than help take it back. As for Lydecker, I'm more likely to kill him than ask for his help again. He said there were no soldiers at the facility, and look how that turned out." Max threw the last of the gasoline on the flames. She didn't know what to feel. She was glad to be out, sad that 752 was dead, angry that they were just using her for their own goals. Lydecker, how she would love to get her hands around his throat right now.

She turned around and headed back to the main road. The smoke would attract attention soon enough. They had to keep moving if they were to stay under the radar. She was already at the road when she realised that Handson hadn't followed.

"Curse you old man!" She turned back again to go get him.

She found him standing close to the flames. His eyes were close and he was edging forward. Max ran forward and pulled him back, throwing him against the ground.

"What are you doing?" She yelled while pulling him further away from the flames.

"Isn't it obvious?" He said trying to get her to let go.

"If you think I'm going to leave you here to die, you're wrong. You're the only one who knows what they did to me, and you saved my life. So get up, coz we're leaving." Max pulled him to his feet and indicated in the direction of the road.

"I didn't save your life." Handson protested meekly as he made his way ahead of Max.

"You were the only friend I had in there. You saved my sanity more than once."

Handson glanced back briefly before continued their walk in silence.

Warehouse

The truck came to a skidding halt in the warehouse. This is the same warehouse where Logan and Max with her family and Lydecker planned their attack on Manticore almost two years ago. Logan couldn't help but feel slightly nostalgic seeing the place again.

Asha pulled the door open and came around to help the others with Hanna while Logan assembled his wheelchair. By the time he came wheeling around the corner they already had Hannah sprawled on the table. Logan took the scene in with a glance. The girl was smothered in her mother's arms, clearly crying, while the mother was whispering words of encouragement to Hannah who was grinding down on her teeth trying hard not to cry as Asha removed her shoes. It looked bad. The fence came on just as Hanna was pulling herself through. The current didn't electrocute her but it did set her shoes on fire, which burned down to the flesh.

"We'll have to take her to the hospital!" Asha said as she saw Logan approaching.

"Can't do that" Logan replied calmly as he reached for his phone.

Asha immediately rounded on him, "There could be infection, the skins peeling off. I've seen people die from wounds like this."

Logan ignored her as he spoke quietly into the phone "Syl, I need your help. Can you come to the warehouse? Ok, bring some first aid, something for burns." He hung up the phone, the girl was sobbing even harder and Hannah was crying now too. Asha was just staring at him like he was mad.

"Help's coming. Just hold on for a bit. Let's get that other shoe off so long."

He wheeled himself forward as Asha continued with the other shoe, cursing under her breath.

"It's gonna be okay. I promise." Logan said as sincerely as he could, but it didn't really help much.

It took about twenty minutes before a busted up car, that seems to have been a Ford at some point but now consisted of various parts from various cars, came in through the warehouse doors. It was anything but inconspicuous.

"Didn't I tell you to get rid of that thing" Logan said as Syl climbed out of the car.

She just looked at him with defiance, although to the normal untrained eye she seemed quite emotionless. She walked over to the people at the table, scanned over their faces then turned towards Logan as if asking for some answers.

"Hannah" Logan complied pointing at the woman on the table with the burned feet "helped save Max from Manticore. These two are family, Manticore's after them now."

Syl turned back to Hannah. She scanned over the burned feet. "Not so bad, might have some scarring though. She shrugged and started pulling the required medical supplies from her backpack. When she was done, Hannah's feet were bound and clean.

"Can't do much more. She'll need to take it easy. Change the bandage after a week, keep her off her feet, and put this on." She shoved some sort of salve into Logan's hands. "Works wonders for burns might even help for the scarring." Then she lifted her backpack with supplies and stalked off.

"Where is she going." Asha asked as she watched Syl drive out.

Logan just shrugged. "Okay, so I had a save house ready for you but guess that's not going to do anymore. You'll just have to come to my place." Logan moved closer to Hannah, who was now propped up on one elbow, soothing the girl.

"I can take care of her" the woman insisted.

"No Rachel, I made a promise, and I intend to keep it. Come on, I'll wheel you over." Logan said as he indicated his lap to Hannah.

"She was an X5?" Hannah asked looking at Logan. "The blond with the funny car. They are always so emotionless" she said as she awkwardly moved onto Logan's lap.

"Yes, Syl, from Max's unit" Logan replied as he helped Hannah down.

"You never told me how she died" she said, "on the phone you didn't elaborate much" she was in shock he realised.

"I will, let's just get you some place safe first, okay." Logan wheeled her over to the truck.

"I don't get it" Asha said as they got into the car. "You just trust your life to this guy you don't even know. Riding on his lap and all. I don't get it?"

"Max trusted him. You seem to be trusting him?" Hannah said, as if that was explanation enough.

"Huh, I don't trust him, I just tag along coz I want to see what his on about. You all seem to place a lot of faith in this Max guy." Asha said as she climbed in behind the steering wheel.

"That's complicated" Logan said not really feeling up to discussing this topic neither correcting Asha's error.

Luckily Asha dropped it with just a shallow, "always is" before she drove off to Logan's penthouse.


	9. Chapter 8

**NeoGenesis**

**Chapter 8**

Manticore, director's office

"Report!" Renfro declared with menace as she stared into the eyes of 734. Any other X5 might have flinched but not 734, she stood her ground.

Brin wasn't very keen on reporting about the events of this afternoon but she had no choice. The director wants answers and by the look in her eye if she didn't get them there would be hell to pay. She was supposed to kill Doctor Handson then allow Max and 752 to escape. 752 would have helped Max find Lydecker and perhaps a few other X5's and then Manticore would have closed in. But now, Max was on the run with Handson. Internally Brin wanted to smile but the look in Renfro's eyes reminded her that her good deed to her sister is going to cost her dearly.

So with reluctance, which of course she didn't show, she began: "Ma'am I was stationed on the roof as was requested and waited for the captives to make an appearance. The soldiers in the yard were cleared out and the vehicle was in clear view. They came running from the building towards the vehicle. 752 was carrying 452 with the doctor leading to the car. I could not get a clear shot of the doctor. As they were getting in to the vehicle I got a clear view of the doctor at the steering wheel. 752 was rounding the vehicle. I fired a second too late and 752 was hit. I assume he is dead. The doctor and 452 escaped in the vehicle."

"452 escaped, 452 escaped! With a man who knows enough to completely destroy us. All because you didn't do what you were supposed to do!" Renfro was vivid. The artery in her forehead was pulsing slightly. "Tell me 734 how are we supposed to find her again and how will we bring Lydecker in. We have nothing, because, she's gone, because of you!"

734 just stood there staring ahead and refrained from saying anything. Renfro could have her executed right where she stood, but she would probably decide on some slow excruciating punishment that would leave Brin begging for her to end it. The other soldiers in the room were smirking already, they wanted blood too.

"I want her back, and you are going to bring her back or you'll …." Renfro paused as the door opened and Doctor James Harth came strolling into the office with a broad smile on his face. He was carrying a small device that was humming softly. Brin could literally hear Renfro grinding on her teeth.

"WHAT!" she finally yelled as Harth continued grinning.

"A present for you dear director" he said handing her the device.

She looked at it suspiciously then declared "What am I supposed to do with this."

"Its 452" he replied almost mystically.

Renfro looked back at the device than started smiling. "Where?" she asked.

"In her lovely spine, where I removed the other." He smiled broadly looking at Renfro in a way that made Brin want to puke.

'_A tracking device, they have a tracking device on Max'_, she thought staring desperately at the device still humming in Renfro's hands.

"We have the other two soldiers who are supplying us with sufficient stem cells to make us endlessly rich. We have a tracking device on 452 that would lead us straight to Lydecker, one that's in her spine, that she cannot remove. We have no worries." He said as he walked towards Renfro's desk.

"Out, all of you!" Renfro yelled keeping her gaze on Harth as he moved.

Brin turned and ran. She was devastated, all her efforts and they still had Max, and soon others too if she didn't act fast. So she ran like only an X5 could.

In the woods somewhere

Max and Handson followed the road for some time before veering back into the woods to find shelter for the night. It was still freezing cold and Max was worried that Handson might not survive this weather out in the open. She kept looking over her shoulder as they went and listened for any sign of pursuit. The woods were quiet except for some small animals and insects scurrying about. Nevertheless she couldn't shake the feeling that something was very wrong.

The last few months were so confusing. She couldn't even discern what was real and what wasn't. Perhaps everything was real, or perhaps she was just losing her mind. "How long was I at Manticore?" She asked Handson as they were searching for some shelter. She spotted a toppled tree and started heading in the general direction.

"Two years give or take" Handson whispered as he was trying to warm his hands. He was just following Max blindly and almost walked right into her as she suddenly stopped.

"What?" he asked anxiously looking around for trouble.

"Two years?" She said with a sad and somewhat concerned expression.

Handson just shrugged and looked down to his feet. '_I wonder who's more lost, me or him?' _Max thought as she looked at the old man still rubbing his hands together without generating any warmth.

"How did you end up with them?" She asked more gently heading towards the tree again.

He followed reluctantly. "It was a long time ago. I was still a young naïve overachiever. Wanted to change the world. I was stupid." He sat down hard then shifted into the hollow that Max had created under the tree. He just pulled his cloak closer then sat there miserable and defeated.

Max removed her own coat and covered him with it. He looked up grateful but also concerned. "X5 I can handle it." She shrugged and sat down next to him. He did not reply but pulled the coat closer and closed his eyes. After some time his breathing evened out and his head sagged slightly. Max did not want to disturb his sleep so she took the opportunity to look around a bit. She still had that nagging feeling that something was wrong.

'_The escape was too easy' _she thought. '_There were very little to no guards during the whole event. A fancy car with supplies inside, and a gate that was already rusted up, even a friendly escort that got himself killed for our benefit.' _And from what she could gather, they were not being pursued. '_Wrong, very wrong'_ she thought.

What made the least of sense was this half frozen old man sitting next to her. Where did he fit into all of this? She decided to question him more in the morning.

Logan's penthouse

When they reached the Fogle towers parking garage, Logan's Aztec was already parked in its usual spot near the lifts. '_Krit must have brought it earlier_' he thought. They pulled the truck up a few spaces further down in an area that seemed like a general storage area for everything that is no longer needed by any of the tenants. Logan has been eyeing the old dilapidated couch for some time now. He knows of some people who can still get some good use out of it. He just can't help them right now; Hannah needs to be cared for.

Asha pressed the elevator button then looked at Logan and said: "This is district 9, only the rich folks stay here. How'd you end up here. This ain't no place for the likes of us."

"The likes of us?" Logan asked looking up at Asha with slight annoyance. He wheeled forward as the doors opened.

"You know, fugitives." She replied casually as she entered the elevator behind him.

"I'm not a fugitive, and neither are they." He replied and as Asha was about to open her mouth again he said: "Can we do this in the morning? I'm sure we are all tired."

She conceded with a short "whatever", but he could see something was still bothering her. He just didn't really care.

"Where to, rich boy," Asha said as she observed the control panel.

"Penthouse", replied Logan ignoring the, 'oh really' look Asha was giving him.

The elevator ride up was short and silent. Krit was standing in Logan's doorway when the elevator doors opened. Logan wasn't surprised, with his enhanced hearing he probably heard them coming up from the basement.

"Syl called, she's upset" he said as a way of explanation. "We're trying to avoid all that is Manticore, you know" he said to Logan as he approached. "You must be Hannah" he said as he gently lifted Hannah from Logan's lap without even giving the slightest sign of effort. He carried her in and settled her on the couch. Logan followed him in, his exoskeleton was sprawled out on the coffee table.

"You fixed it!" He exclaimed forgetting all about Syl and her bad moods.

Krit turned to Logan with a mocking grin "Yeh, next time a girl tries to jump your bones, just warn her it's actually metal and insulation tape, would you"

"I did no..." Asha began to object then realised she just revealed herself to everyone and shut her mouth.

Krit on the other hand was immediately on guard, his expression neutral. "Thought you were with the others. Syl said there were others, also running."

"She decided to ride along at the last minute. She's with the S1W. Don't worry she's harmless. Just don't let her jump you." Logan said looking at Asha with a slightly mocking smile.

"So what is all this?" She asked gesturing the apartment, and its new occupants.

"Just some friends I'm helping out. Apartment, well, been living here for a while now. Might have to sell soon though. Family company went bankrupt, shares not paying out any more. You know the usual post pulse troubles." Logan replied as he was heading to the kitchen counter to make some coffee.

"I still don't get it. Why you helping these people? Where did you get that info you gave me? How did you manage to get the fence switched off? You know some people who know people. Who do you work for, government?" Asha was breathing heavily after all the questioning. She was desperate to get some answers, and Logan realised as he watched her place her right hand near the gun in her trousers, she was scared. He knew too much, she knew too little. Maybe the leaders of S1W were pushing her to find out more about him or she was just being cautious.

Krit also saw the gesture. He was tense, waiting for Logan to ask him to throw her out. No luck. Asha had contacts, people whose skills and resources could be valuable additions to the informant net. Besides, if he threw her out she'll just come back and do more damage. She did not fear a man in a wheelchair, two women and a child, and did not understand the power and speed of a skinny X5. She was scared but she was armed, probably had some skill in self-defence and therefore brave when she should have been cautious.

Logan could not bring it upon himself to ask Krit to manhandle her and break her spirit. He looked at the X5, gave his head a small shake and watched as the X5 relax, slightly confused. In that moment Logan couldn't help but picture Max in the same situation. She would have been indifferent, her trust in Logan would not have evoked such an aggressive approach. Krit was still too unfamiliar with him to fully trust when situations didn't play out as planned. Syl probably would have just chucked Asha out without a second thought. Logan couldn't help but laugh, maybe because he was so tired he wasn't thinking straight. Everyone just looked at him now even more confused.

"Sorry, I really need coffee." He said wheeling into the kitchen.

"Why don't you sit down and I'll explain in short what is going on." He indicated the chair then continued explaining as he was making coffee.

"First I don't work for the government. I'm a journalist, I help eyes only to gather information for his cable hacks. That's how I ended up in the chair. Got in way over my head." Logan stopped a moment thinking of how Bruno almost killed him. "Anyway, Hannah is a nutritionist. She's running from the government because she watched as they were feeding some very shady chemicals to new-borns." It was half the truth but he did not feel like going into more detail.

"She was staying with her cousin Rachel and her daughter Emily when they tracked her down. I promised to help them disappear again. The guy who works the fence is a friend of mine. He risked a lot today, so I'd rather not reveal his identity as well. You understand?"

"Yeh, sure. What about him?" Asha pointed at Krit, "and where did you get the, uh ... mechanical … "

"Exsoskeleton" Logan replied. "Long story I don't really want to get into now."

"Yeh, maybe you've already told her too much. Sure she needs to know all this." Krit was looking increasingly uncomfortable, which was serious for an X5 who was trained not to show emotion. He did not trust Asha. She was a stranger to him, an enemy.

"It's all right, I checked her out. Your boss, Ralph, is actually an old firend of mine." He said as he handed Asha the coffee. "We went to school together, back in the day, when schools still worked. We had a nice discussion about you. He trusts you."

She was taken aback. "What did he say about me?"

Logan just smiled. "You risk a lot to do what is needed. Little over eager sometimes. Hence the jumpiness." Krit actually smiled at that. It just annoyed Asha

"So he your body guard or something. You should let the S1W lend you some real muscle. He's way too skinny. Would probably fall over his own feet if he tried to run." She said trying to provoke Krit, but the X5 remained passive. He just continued smiling secretively, sipping his coffee. This made Asha very uncomfortable, as she was shifting restlessly with her cup of coffee entwined in both hands.

"Krit is Max's brother. He's family." Logan replied casually.

"Oh and who's this Max?" Asha didn't miss a beat. Logan could see that Krit was still freaking her out. He was giving her a mellow stare over his own cup, the mocking smile gone when Max was mentioned. He didn't even blink, just continued staring.

Logan didn't know how to respond. He saw Hannah shifting into an upright position in the living room. She was also listening. It just made things worse.

"Help me carry the coffee." He said to neither in particular. Krit was first to respond and took two cups along with his own, leaving only Logan's cup for Asha to carry. He was still glaring at her freakishly. She grabbed Logan's cup and quickly followed him to the living room.

Krit handed a cup to Hannah and Rachel then went to stand by the window to look outside. Asha seemed grateful and took a seat near Logan as she handed him his cup.

"So who is Max?" She asked again.

"Max?" Logan asked himself not really sure where to begin. There was no easy words, or short explanations to describe Max. There was just too much to say, to explain. She was beautiful, dangerous, gentle, very complex. "What words can really do her justice." He said aloud without really meaning to. He's still grieved after all this time. Hannah sensed his pain and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Asha diverted her eyes. Krit was more direct.

"She's dead. There is nothing more we can do for the dead, except regret the things we didn't do." Krit words cut deep. All this time Logan only thought of his own sorrow, his own loss. He never considered that others might also feel the pain of Max's death. Her family, her friends. He looked at Hannah, an expression of pain on her face. Someone who only knew Max briefly, yet was equally touched as those she knew intimately.

Somehow Logan felt obliged to share Max with these people. To tell them who she really was and what she meant to him. To explain to them that he understood what effect she had on people, especially those who were broken and scared. How she always had a way to show you that life wasn't all that bad, no matter what, that there was always something to live for, to fight for, no matter how small that something was. So he started from the beginning, telling them how Max and he met, how she became a part of his world and how she changed everything.


	10. Chapter 9

**NeoGenesis**

**Chapter 9**

Somewhere between NeoGenisis facility and Manticore

It was strange when it happened. Max had her cuffed to a rail in the hallway. She was so angry knowing what Max and the others were doing she wanted to kill her sister with her bare hands. If only she could free herself, but her efforts were wasted, the cuffs were too tight. Suddenly everything shook with a sudden explosion. Plaster was flying off the walls, people were running, screaming, it was chaotic. A second explosion ripped the rail out off the wall and Brin was slammed against the opposite wall. She could not remember much after that. She woke up a few days later, having suffered a major concussion and was delirious. Things eventually came back into perspective. The knock on the head must have rattled her re-indoctrination slightly, because Brin started remembering things long forgotten. Things her re-indoctrination have twisted in her head to make truths, lies, and lies, the truth. Things that she vowed never to forget. Things such as family, forged through hardship, endurance and blood. Family not in the traditional sense, but family as those who stand by you in the face of death. The days that followed were hard to bear. She had to pretend to be 734 the re-indoctrinated soldier. Obedient without question or hesitation. There was no escape, so she played the part, and she endured.

That all changed the day they dragged her sister in, and began prepping her for the tank. She was unconscious, in a vegetative state, but alive. They tried to re-indoctrinate her but her seizures did not allow for continuous treatment and therefore the process was unsuccessful. They then performed surgery on her spine to remove an implant that was supposedly increasing the severity of her seizures. After surgery, the brain damage was severe enough for them to reconsider their options. It was all just a front, an excuse to get her into the Neogenesis program without too many questions asked. Half dead no one cared what they did to her. Any science experiment could be overlooked as necessary so that strong healthy soldiers can survive. She watched as they filled the tank and transformed her sister, not interfering not questioning. Brin watched and waited for months for her sister to die, like all the others before her that were placed in the tank. Waited for her immune system to reject the new artificial cells, but it didn't, and she did not die. She adapted.

Confused with amnesia from the brain surgery, Max survived the tank. For almost a year she was just a patient wandering the hallways not sure where or what she was. Slowly she recovered, believing all their lies as truths, turning once again into the perfect soldier. The guise would have lasted if Manticore didn't become impatient and forced Brin and two others to beat her up. That was the worst part, hurting the only person she knew still cared about her. The one person that risked all to save her from the explosion. It was hard, but Brin was proud of her sister. Her shear ability to heal, gave her the endurance to fight on. To cheat death once more and survive.

After that day Brin really started noticing the changes. The secret smiles on her sister's face as she wandered down the hallways, the glares she gave the guards and scientists, the pity when she looked at Brin. Max was remembering. She knew who she was, where she was, she remembered where she used to be, the people who shared her life.

Problem was, Manticore also knew. They knew that re-indoctrination and mind probing was impossible with Max's constant irreparable seizures. But they also knew that Max was determined and desperate to get out. So they let her out. With the tracking device installed in her spine they could track her movements to the other side of the globe. All they had to do was wait and watch until Max lead them to her brothers and sisters, to eyes only and Lydecker.

But Brin could not let that happen. Max was their only hope. The only one they could not turn, the only one who was strong and brave enough to fight back. She had to save her, at all cost. So she sped faster the tress flying by in a blur. She had to get to max before Manticore did.

Logan's penthouse

Logan was determined not to be late for work, again. He set his alarm early and moved it away from the bed so that he'd be forced to get up to turn it off. He even kept the wheelchair close so that he would be able to move out of bed quickly. Then he can shower and shave and be off to work in no time. He had everything perfectly planned. So when his alarm went off at five, without even bothering with lights, he switched the alarm off and reached out for his wheelchair, which wasn't there.

He sat up and turned the light on. Yes the wheelchair wasn't there, and his exo was still in the living room where Krit had dropped it off. Annoyed Logan shifted in his bed unsure what to do. To get to the exo he would have to shuffle towards the living room, on his butt, which could lead to potential embarrassment since his penthouse is currently occupied by several people. Rachel and Emily were asleep in the spare bedroom, Hannah was sleeping in the living room on the couch. Luckily Krit and Asha went home late last night. Ironically it was Krit who offered Asha a lift. Logan hoped he didn't drag her off for interrogation somewhere.

He was just about to shift his weight to climb off the bed when he heard a soft "Oh" at the door. He looked up to see Hannah wheeling herself over in his wheelchair.

"Sorry I couldn't sleep, and it was so painful to walk, I thought I'd just borrow it for a bit." She engaged the brakes and was about to stand up when Logan stopped her.

"No, you shouldn't be walking on those" he said indicating her feet. They were healing well, but constant walking quickly turned them puffy and red. He couldn't help but feel somewhat responsible for that.

"You can keep the chair, just fetch my exo from the living room", he said pointing out the door, trying hard to hide his emotions and slight embarrassment. Well at least she could get his exo now without him butt shuffling. '_Not such a bad morning after all' _he thought as he watched Hannah wheel out to retrieve the exo, a grateful expression on her face.

Once Logan was clean and dressed for work he found Hannah in the kitchen preparing breakfast. She was remarkably capable with the chair and since everything was already packed into the lower cupboards for easy reach, she managed to prepare breakfast without much hassle.

He lifted an eyebrow at the plate she shoved in his direction. "Looks good" he said picking up a fork to try the very colourful dish. It was delicious. "I should keep you around, this is really good cooking" Logan commented as he shoved some more stir fry something into his mouth.

"Thought I should make up for the chair that I stole. I also cleaned the living room while everyone was sleeping, seems you don't get much time to do things around here?" Hannah said as she was cleaning the frying pan.

"No not really, since I started working, I guess most things just got left behind. And Bling being away for a couple of days, maybe I can use an extra hand around here."

"Well I don't think I'm going anywhere anytime soon" she said finishing with the pan.

"Great it's settled then. I'll ask Original Cindy if she can hook Rachel up with a job, maybe a place to stay, you can stay here, help me out. Let's see how it goes."

"Sounds good"

Logan was off to a good start, he phoned OC who agreed to help Rachel out at the coffee shop as well as provide some accommodation in Max's old room. Hannah was going to clean his apartment and also help him with his filing, which has been a total mess these last years. He was also in time for work; actually he was early and still had some time to fill a cup of coffee before he had to start. Things were really looking up for Logan Cale.

Somewhere in the woods

Max was deliberately stoking the fire with wet branches to increase the amount of smoke. They were not being pursued, as far as she could tell, which didn't make any sense at all. Handson suddenly woke up with a coughing fit. Max had forgotten about the old man and suddenly realized that the smoke was blowing in his direction.

"What are you doing?!" He said scrambling away to a more breathable area.

"Sorry, no one seems to be following us" Max said helping the old man to his feet.

"Then why?" he gestured toward the smoking fire with a questioning look.

"They're not following us. You can see this from miles away and yet no one has reacted to it. It doesn't make sen … unless they already know where we are."

Max began examining the seams of her clothing, her hairline, her forearm but she couldn't find anything that might have been a tracking device.

"You think they got us bugged?" Handson asked dumbly examining his own clothes, not quite sure what he's supposed to look for.

"Must have something on us?" Max said as she helped Handson.

"More like in you!" Brin said as she climbed onto the fallen tree.

Brin was carrying a rifle but she wasn't pointing it at them so Max ignored her and opened her senses to the surrounding area. She couldn't hear any other movement, or breathing, or smell anything that was not the forest itself. They were alone.

"Just me sis." Brin said detecting her sister's awareness. "Nice job on the signal fire, guess they won't be needing that implant to find you." She threw an instrument in Max's direction. Max caught it and examined it. It had a small screen that showed a map with a small blinking light indicating their position.

"We don't have much time." She lifted her hand as Max was about to ask something indicating that she should be quiet and said "I don't have time to explain everything. They sent me to bring you back in, but I'm not going to. I'm getting you out of here, but we have to keep moving. Here take this, trust me you'll need it!" She shoved a small armband into Max's hands. It had a small green blinking light.

Handson was just standing there gawking at her. He was too shocked to even move.

"What am I supposed to do with this" Max said, looking at the funny band.

"I don't know, eat it" Brin shot back sarcastically as she shoved one of the rifles towards Max.

Max instinctively took a step back. "I don't do guns, and why should I trust you? You tried to kill me! Now you suddenly want to save my life, not buying it" Max said taking a cocky stand with her arms folded and leaning on her right hip.

"You'll be dead if you don't!" She yelled anger in her eyes. "They have a tracking device in you skull. You try and take it out, you die. You don't, they find you and you'd wish you were dead. Either way, you'll never see daylight again. So here are your options, we go and try and live or we stay and die!"

Her anger suddenly changed to fear. She locked eyes with Max before she said: "I owe you one. I just betrayed Manticore to help you, don't let it be for nothing. That shot wasn't meant for 752 you know. If I go back without you they kill me. This is my last chance; I'd rather go down fighting."

"How much time do we have?" Max asked, her heart softening. She could never really hate her sister, they were family after all. At least this gave her a chance.

"An hour maybe. It took me longer to find you than I thought. You better put that on. It will suppress the signal from the tracker. Let's hope no one notices the signal is gone, otherwise, we better get going."

"Uh, what must I do?" Handson was still standing in the exact same spot. He looked slightly frightful.

"You can drive!" Brin said as she was heading back towards the road.

Cindy's coffee shop

Asha was heading towards OC's coffee shop at midday, contemplating if she should buy Logan a take away or not. She kind of felt sorry for him, losing his girl, not having legs, living alone. He seemed such a jerk at first but the more she got to know him the nicer he seemed. The coffee shop wasn't as packed as usual which was strange.

"Mornin what can I get ya?" OC asked as Asha headed through the door.

"The usual double caf with cream." She liked her coffee strong. As she sat down she asked "why so quiet today" glancing about at the few people that occupied the shop.

"Got some extra hands to help me out" OC said just as Rachel came in with some supplies tucked in under her arm.

"Hey" she greeted heading to the coffee machine to refill it.

"Popo's didn't give you trouble at the checkpoint?" OC asked Rachel as she was preparing Asha's drink.

"Nah, said I was heading to OC's with fresh supplies, if they wanted some they had to let me go make it, so they let me through, no problem"

"Emily is still washing the cups or so I hope. Probably watching TV again" OC said giving Asha her drink. Rachel headed back to go check on the girl.

"You think Logan would like a cup of strong black?" Asha asked just as the door opened again.

"Wouldn't mind" Logan replied from the door, smiling at Asha and OC. "I'm having such a wonderful day, everything seems to be working out just fine. Even managed to finish my repairs early. Great day!"

"Hufh, yeh then you can come help me with this camera, things been acting up again" OC said indicating the security cam in the corner.

"Since his day is going so well I guess he has time for coffee first, right" Asha said smiling invitingly at Logan.

Logan shifted hesitating for half a second before he told OC with a nod "strong black!"

Somewhere on the road towards Seattle

"So what happens if the battery dies" Max asked Brin examining the small device in the armband around her wrist. The light on the tracker disappeared as soon as she put the armband on.

Brin was sitting in front next to Handson who was driving. "Manticore swarms you like a pack of dogs after prey. They'll dig you out of any hole you try to hide in. Luckily I got an extra stash, you can wear a new one every week, and the batteries are rechargeable. So don't worry about it. Just don't ever take it off." She looked back at Max to make sure she heard before returning her focus to the road.

Max sat back slightly disgusted. She reached up and touched the spot right above her barcode. Yes it did feel different, slightly longer than the red implant. She instinctively looked behind them making sure no one was following. The road was empty.

They've been diving for quite some time now. They just stopped over briefly to refuel and get a change of clothes before they were off again. Brin supplied some Manticore special ops uniforms and gear for both Handson and Max. She also had some fake military orders that they were using to get through checkpoints. So far they have crossed two border checkpoints without any confrontation. If they kept up the pace they could be in Seattle before midnight. Max was hoping to go to Logan as soon as she got into the city. With his regular working hours, he might still be up. Something to look forward to, but instead she felt nervous. Two years is a long time.

That wasn't her only worry. She was still unsure about Brin. Sure she helped her escape and the jamming device was keeping Max alive, but was she really intent on helping or was this just some ploy to get Max to trust her. Only time would tell. In the meantime Max was determined to be constantly alert.

"So what's your story" Max asked Handson who was driving with a dreamy expression on his face. "My story?" he asked looking puzzled by the question.

"How did you end up with Manticore, you don't seem the Manticore type." She said scanning the road ahead, while listening for any pursuit.

"Oh, long story." he said.

"So you said but we have time" Max replied glancing behind them again to make sure it was still clear. Great now she was being paranoid. She forced herself to look forward.

"Well, um, I studied to become a physician at Oxford University, back in the day when universities existed for everyone not just the rich and famous, or politically influential. Things were still and calm in Europe until the pulse hit America, then everything went crazy. We all thought the world was going to end. If they can target the world leader, the rest of us are in no less danger. Markets crashed, there were riots, and many lost their jobs. But as time went by things recovered. I was naive, wanted challenges in life. Wanted to help people who really needed me. So I came to America, to the heart of the crisis. I started working on tissue regeneration to help burn victims, amputees and people with cancer. I was somewhat financially independent. People were very willing to donate to my cause, here and from overseas and across borders. I made some great breakthroughs." He shook his head in wonderment as he was reflecting on his successes.

"Let me guess, Manticore was all too eager to enlist the great Doctor Handson with his regenerative technology."

"Not Manticore, although now I know they were indeed at the heart of it. They posed as a medical suppliers company, HealthMed incorporated, or HM inc. for short. They invested more money than any of my other sponsors, helped me fund NeoGenesis. We were doing good work, helping people who were really sick and in need. We weren't very profitable but our research pleased our benefactors. If I knew back then what they were doing with it, I would never..." He broke off, like he suddenly lost the ability to speak.

"It's not your fault" Max said although she was devastated. This man might have had an indirect role in her creation.

"No I guess not." His voice was suddenly hoarse. He cleared his throat then continued. "It was only when that red head appeared on the scene that I realized something was seriously wrong. Unfortunately it was already too late." He was looking away again, ashamed perhaps.

"So you're the one running this whole setup?" Max asked curiously. She glanced at Brin quickly. She could see that she was fuming internally, but kept herself composed and silent. For that Max was grateful.

"I was initially, till they started bringing X5's in. Demanding that we enhance their regenerative properties or they would close us down. I refused; I would rather leave my life's work than use people to experiment on. When I realized what has already been done to them … I …... couldn't." He couldn't look at Max so instead he was gazing at the plants and wild flowers next to the road.

"But ….. you stayed?" Max said trying to get his attention back to the conversation.

"You don't leave Manticore alive. I had a choice, help or die. I fear, I chose the cowards path." he looked at Max with shame. "They of course got someone else to lead the research effort, a Doctor McAdams. What an ugly man. Half my size, can't speak properly and has no sense of humor or consideration toward humanity." He shook his head. "They kept me around, left me to do my test tube work, but confiscated all my research notes. Later on I started working in the Hospital, or what they called the hospital. It was fine at first. Soldiers with minor injuries, a few technicians and scientists with the flu." Handson just sighed and continued staring at the road while he drove.

"Let me guess, they dragged me in?"

"Yes from the main facility. They took you straight to the tanks so I only saw you when you came out. Asked me to do all sorts of tests. See how well you healed. Sorry about that needle, they wanted me to do that" he glanced back apologetically.

Max remembered the needle incident. Handson tripped and stuck it right through her arm. As soon as he pulled it out it healed almost instantly. Just a little spot remained, which also disappeared in a short time. She didn't think much of it then.

"Another checkpoint and we'll be in Seattle. Slow and steady doc" Birn said as they neared the next check point. Handson complied slowing the car as he sneaked by the line standing at the entrance. Official vehicles didn't wait in cues like everyone else. Two officers stepped up to check their papers. They were already well ahead when Max saw them. Two Manticore special ops patrolling the walkways above the border gates. They were speaking animatedly into the communication devices on their wrists. Did Brin betray them?

"Doc, I think you better step on it" Max said indicating the watchers.

"Shit!" Brin said as she saw them. She leaned over towards Handson and added her own foot to the throttle.

"No wait!" Handson wailed trying to get control of the vehicle as it sped towards the border gates.

Suddenly all hell broke loose. The officers and the Manticore personnel were all firing at them from all sides. They smashed through the gates only to be greeted by more Manticore people on the other side, all standing around a blockade waiting for them. Brin moved her foot and slammed on the brakes.

"What are you doing?!" Max asked as they safety glass of the front windshield finally gave in to the onslaught of gunfire. Max yelped as a sudden pain pierced her shoulder. Everyone ducked down as bullets rained the inside of the vehicle.

"We're not getting through there!" Brin said as she opened her door and fired at the nearest guards.

"Where are you going?" Max asked slightly alarmed as Brin was getting out of the vehicle. She squatted down then suddenly dove back in, grabbed Handson by the collar and dragged him out of the car. "You coming?!" She yelled back at Max.

Max opened her door just as Handson was half climbing half falling down a manhole just below Brin's door. Brin continued to provide cover fire as Max dived down the hole after Handson. Handson managed to make a somewhat respectable landing at the bottom of the ladder but was too slow to move out of the way as Max came down head first. They were both drenched in filth when Brin landed neatly on her feet next to them. She didn't hesitate but grabbed them both and hauled them back to their feet. Before they could sprint down the tunnel the car they just left exploded and forced them all back down into the muck again.

Brin cursed with meaning then dragged Handson behind her through the tunnel. Max only sloshed after her without comment. Her shoulder felt like it was on fire, she had to clench her teeth not to scream.

Everything was blurry after that. They waded through muck for hours until Brin finally chose a manhole through which to climb back to the surface. The car blocked their entry so their pursuers were slow to follow them down. They did eventually follow through other manholes but they escaped easily through the dark maze of tunnels.

Max slowly followed Brin and Handson op the ladder. Her right arm was numb and painful so she only had her left arm to climb up. When she reached the top, she had to call to Brin to drag her out.

"Maxie you should have said something, I would have slowed for you" she said as she examined Max's arm with concern.

"No better not, we have to keep moving. Where are we?" She sat upright to look around. She recognized the area. "This is close to the warehouse we used to assemble before we attacked Manticore. Should be a safe enough place to hide out for a while."

Brin helped her up and supported her as she led them to the warehouse.


	11. Chapter 10

**NeoGenesis**

**Chapter 10**

Manticore, director's office

"Ma'am our ambush at the Seattle border control failed. You were right when you insisted they were heading in that direction, but we did not anticipate they would arrive as swiftly as they have." The soldier was nervously standing in front of the director reporting the events of the previous day.

"Isn't that the point of standing watch, to be ready at any moment? What were your people doing, sleeping?!" Renfro was furious. X5-452 has managed to escape once again.

"They spotted our men on the walkway ma'am, then crashed through the gates. We opened fire, intending to kill them as was ordered but somehow they managed to escape through a manhole."

"They escaped into a manhole. How the hell did they manage that!?" Renfro took a step closer to the now sweating soldier. She could smell his fear in the air around him.

"734 used the vehicle as cover then fired at us. The others slipped into the manhole behind her, ma'am." He was dying to take a step back but held his position with straining self-control.

"You did not pursue?"

"We were unable to pursue at first because their vehicle blocked the entry. Once we managed to get into the tunnels they evaded us through the underground maze. There was no way we could follow them."

The man was literally holding his breath as he waited for her judgment. She wanted to make him squirm some more before she send him off. '_Idiots all of them, they were given a simple order and they failed.'_ She was furious that 734 had betrayed her and now they managed to escape into a well-populated city because her idiot patrol could not manage to blow their brains out.

"The patrol vehicle 734 stole?" she asked trying to bait him into admitting another failure.

"Completely destroyed" The soldier managed without breathing in.

"So you managed to destroy a very expensive piece of government equipment, did not eliminate your targets and then failed to pursue. That about sum it up."

The soldier could not answer so he just kept staring in front of him. Small beads of sweat were forming on his brow.

"Three failures in one day. I have kids that are five years old that can perform better than you and your men, soldier. You know what that means?" She did not wait for a reply but continued. "That means I don't need you."

If it was possible for him to turn a shade paler then he did. He was going to die, and by Director Renfro's standards, very painfully.

"But I am a kind person." Turning away and walking back to her desk she was disgusted by his fear and self-pity. "I will give you another chance. I will give you three days to find and eliminate 452, 734 and Doctor Handson. Three days and not a second more." She nodded in the direction of one of her officers who was discreetly standing aside in the corner of the office observing the encounter between Renfro and the soldier. At her nod he advanced on the soldier and promptly dragged him out of her office.

She smiled at herself as she returned to her seat at her desk. He was going to die in three days whether he succeeded or not. She almost felt sorry for him, almost.

Warehouse

It took them longer to get to the warehouse than anticipated. Max's memory was still fuzzy at times and therefore they got lost more often than not until max recognized a building or road sign or a scruffy hissing cat which frequented an area. Max felt tired but the more they walked the less painful her shoulder became. The bleeding also seemed to have slowed to a kind of oozing. She was actually starting to worry that it might seal itself shut with the bullet still inside.

The warehouse doors were closed when they arrived. Max directed them to a side door instead. Luckily it wasn't locked. The inside was clean and well organized. Much cleaner than last time she was here. The table was still there on the raised platform but it looked cleaner and now housed a few extra mismatched chairs. Max almost felt bad siting on one of them with her clothes a sodden mess covered in who knows what.

"Nice place" Brin said as she walked a round of the warehouse. There was some workman tools and wiring with a can of black spray paint on the table. Someone has clearly used the place recently to work on something. There was a piece of a motorcycle mirror that reminded Max of her ninja. Somehow she felt very disturbed by it but was suddenly brought back to the present when Handson touched her shoulder.

"Ow! Really doc, you don't have to stick your fingers in it, we all know what it is." She shot at him shoving his hand aside.

"Sorry. We're going to have to clean it and stitch it up though." He said looking concerned.

"With what? Unless Brin goes out and get some supplies we're ….. "

"Oh shit!" Brin suddenly exclaimed cutting Max off mid-sentence.

"What?" Max and Handson both asked at once.

"Our supplies. Your tryptophan and the signal blocking devices with the extra batteries and charger. They we're in the car and …... Its all my fault!" She looked up at Max with a horrified expression. "I'm sorry Maxie"

There was absolute silence as this new reality sunk in. Max swallowed then cleared her throat once the worst of the shock has worn off. "How long before this thing fails" she asked indicating the device on her arm.

"They usually keep for about a week, maybe." Brin avoided her eyes and stared at her shoes. Max suddenly felt angry, angry at Manticore for destroying her life, angry at Brin for her self-pity and shame, angry at the constant pain in her arm, just angry at everything.

"You going to fix this or do I have to bleed to death" she snapped at Handson indicating her bleeding arm.

"We need supplies" he answered looking startled and frightened at her sudden change in mood.

"Cauterize it and tie it up, no point in making it pretty. Brin you have a knife!?" Her words suddenly shook Brin to action. She pulled out the knife, handed it to Handson then turned to find something to heat it with. Max was already pulling off her sodden jacket and shirt to expose the wound. Handson was staring at the blade in his hand.

"Handon ... Handson!" He suddenly snapped awake and stared at Max.

"Are we all going to die?" He asked stupidly.

"No just me, take the bullet out will you." Handson stared at Max's wound. It wasn't really bleeding anymore but it was still a significant injury.

He took a breath to steady himself then came closer. "I'm sorry" he said, and Max could see he meant it. He was quite disturbed that she would just have to die. Manticore would never let her live if they found her. He was looking at her shoulder from all angles. He reached out and held her just above the injury. "I'm going to cut in a bit, see if I can feel it. Try to hold still."

It wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. Yes it hurt when he stuck the knife in, but Handson quickly located the unwelcome piece of lead and swiftly removed it. Max was still trying to figure out how he did it when he held it up for her perusal. Just then Brin returned with a first aid kit.

"Where'd you get that?" Max asked eying the small box.

"At the back there is this small chop shop. Some car someone is working on. This was just lying on the bench" She just shrugged and opened it.

"Not much in here." Brin pulled out a piece of gauze and some sort of tape. She handed it to Hanson who quickly covered Max's wound. "Would have liked to clean it first, but..."

"Its fine, don't worry about it." Max said looking beyond Handson while she tried to think what to do next.

"Hold it right there!" A man's voice came from the open door. He had a gun in his hands and was pointing it right at them. Max quickly covered herself before she looked back at the man. That was a mistake. Brin was already down the stairs barrelling right at him with unconcealed rage. It was only then that she recognized Lydecker.

"Brin stop!" She sprung up and ran after them. Lydecker wisely ducked outside. Max tackled Brin to the ground just as she was about to throttle Lydecker.

"Let go, he has to die. He killed Tinga!" she yelled trying to shove Max aside. Max shifted her grip to get a strangle hold on Brin, but Brin was too fast and almost slipped away. Max had to grab her by the throat and hair to hold her steady.

"Renfro killed Tinga, he was helping us. I was there, it wasn't Lydecker" Max slammed Brin's head to the ground for emphasis.

They eyed each other for a moment before Brin relaxed and gave in. Max let her go and got up awkwardly. She would have given Brin a hand but her shoulder was throbbing painfully so she opted to hold her arm instead as she backed away to give Brin space.

"Now you're the last person I expected to find here" Lydecker said looking at Max. He could not quite conceal the smile.

"Don't worry, I won't be here for long." She tried not to sound too nasty but she couldn't. She turned and walked back to the door. "Brin you coming?" She waited for Brin then followed without another word.

Cindy's coffee shop

"You alright Cindy?" Logan asked as he positioned the ladder. Cindy seemed very quiet. Asha went to the bathroom, probably just an excuse not to help him with the ladder.

"Original Cindy's alright" She said dusting the counter for a second time.

"You sure you've been very quiet" Logan replied as he positioned the ladder again. The angle was very awkward, right in the corner.

"Nothin to say" Cindy replied continuing with her dusting.

"Yeh I miss her too" he said quietly as he climbed up the ladder.

"Don't fall!" Asha called as she returned.

Logan unscrewed the camera casing and inspected the inner workings of the device. After a few minutes he located the problem.

"It's just a wire that came loose. Must have been when you adjusted the angle." Logan was leaning against the wall peering into the security cam. He stood on the ladder to reach the device but the angel was so awkward and the ladder did not quite fit so he had to lean over to reach it.

"Eh, okay I'll just" He had to stick his fingers in and somehow reattach the wire, but it felt more like he was hanging on to it than reattaching it. Since he couldn't really feel his legs he wasn't sure if he was overbalancing or not. He managed to stick the wire in again but just as he let go to get back down he toppled over ladder and all. He crashed onto the serving counter on his stomach knocking his air out.

"Logan you okay?" Cindy asked helping him back to his feet. Asha was trying very hard to keep a serious concerned face on but somehow the grin would not disappear. Logan could have sworn he heard a little chuckle as well.

"I'm okay" Logan managed while he tried to breath normally again. He was trying to be annoyed but somehow couldn't when he saw the bemused yet concerned expression on Cindy's face. He also started to laugh. It came out a bit rugged then turned into a cough. His breathing soon eased again and then he just smiled, shaking his head at his own clumsiness.

"Damn shame I didn't get that on camera." Asha said smiling in earnest.

"Yeh. Better go check and see if it's working again." He left the women to their snickering and went into the back to check the computer. Sure enough the camera was working again. He quickly set it up to record. He sat there for a while looking at Cindy and Asha as they chatted.

Asha was not a bad person. She was young and adventurous. She worked for a group of people who shared many of his own ideals in life. Perhaps he should go out and talk to her, invite her over for dinner. He smiled then headed for the door.

Just as he rounded the corner to re-enter the serving area Krit came waltzing in around the entrance.

"I'll have whatever she's having" he said pointing at Asha before he took a seat right next to her.

"Camera is working again" Logan said as he eyed Krit and took a seat a little further down the counter.

"Original Cindy's gonna give you a voucher for free coffee for a week, as a thank you" Cindy said to Logan as she handed Krit his coffee.

"Ah now that's not fair. I could have fixed that" Krit said indignantly.

"Cindy asked your ass but you were, too busy" Cindy replied placing a sarcastic emphasis on the last two words.

"I had stuff to do. Which is why I'm here." He said turning to Asha. "I hear you were dealing with some general who was using military ration money to buy guns which he sells to criminals to fill his own pockets. Some gang down south is suddenly packing heavy. Military wants to 'intervene'. I think your guy might be involved"

"Oh, that wasn't really common knowledge, where did you get this info." Asha asked sceptically.

"I have my ways" Krit said simply without further explanation. He was smiling very sweetly. Logan was wondering what his angle was. Why was he suddenly so interested in helping Asha. She had told him about this gun business a few days ago. Logan was currently working on tracking the dealers down.

Then he suddenly realized, "you stole my intel!"

"It was lying around" Krit said shrugging like it was no big deal. He turned back to Asha to say something more when his phone suddenly buzzed indicating he received a message.

"It was in my apartment, so even if it was lying around you had no business to it." Logan said to Krit as he struggled to retrieve his phone.

"I was going to give you this intel once I had all the information so that we can act on it" Logan said to Asha, glaring at Krit.

Krit was looking at his phone. His face seemed suddenly pale. "I have to go." He got up and was out the door without a backwards glance.

"What... where are you? Unbelievable!" Logan just stared after him.

"So Logan about those guns?" Asha said turning away from the door back to Logan.

"Well, uh, if you want, we can go back to my place and I'll show you." Logan said hesitantly. Asha smiled.

Original Cindy just shook her head as the two left the coffee shop.

Warehouse

Lydecker waited outside for a few seconds. He pulled out his phone and quickly typed out a message. '_Max alive with Brin need assist must contain warehouse_'. He tucked away his phone and followed Max and Brin inside. He froze in the doorway.

"Ed!" He could not believe his eyes. One of Manticore's top specialists was sitting on the table cleaning blood off a knife. He startled and nearly cut his finger off.

"Oh, hello Donald" He said not putting the knife down.

"Ed, your name is Ed? I thought it was Handson?" Max said glancing at Handson.

He just shrugged. "In the military they refer to you by your last name, guess it caught on with the rest of us."

"So I'm Guevara" She pulled a face and walked over to a chair. "Wonder whose stupid idea that was."

Lydecker stood a moment then made a decision and came forward. Brin suddenly stepped into his path. "So if you didn't kill Tinga, who did?!"

"Renfro" Lydecker replied before Max could. He sidestepped Brin and joined them at the table. Brin had an angry expression on her face.

"But you already knew that" Lydecker said as he took his seat. Brin just nodded then walked off.

Lydecker waited for her to leave. "Are you alright, you look like hell" he asked Max

Max leaned her elbow on the table and placed her head in her hand. She looked exhausted. She was wet and sticky and there was a funny smell of rot and blood in the air. Her arm was somewhat bandaged.

"Not really." She said not looking at Lydecker.

"They got a tracker on her. Thing is in her spine, no way to get it out." Hadson supplied fearfully. He was keeping close to Max. He clearly didn't trust Lydecker.

"Yes the red implant, I know" Lydecker said.

"No. They took that one out, replaced it with something else." Max said sitting up straight.

"They took it out? So you come back from the dead twice?" Lydecker asked looking sceptical.

"Guess you could say... ah!" The spasm rode up on her spine into her neck. She fell off her chair landing hard.

"Oh no" Handson said as he immediately moved to her side. "At Manticore they dosed her with tryptophan. She's been off the meds for two days now, should have known that disaster was imminent."

Lydecker moved closer to hold her steady. "Don't worry, help will be here soon" he said before she passed out.


	12. Chapter 11

**NeoGenesis**

**Chapter 11**

Warehouse

"How's she doing?" Krit asked looking from Syl to Max's pale face. Max was asleep on a narrow bed in a small room at the back of the warehouse. It was commonly called Lydecker's room by the X5's.

"Alright considering" She glanced up at krit, he did not look convinced.

"Some rest and some good food, plus a regular dose of tryptophan, and a bath, she'll be fine" Syl said as she got up from her crouched position next to Max.

"Come on I want to know about this tracker thing Max has stuck in her head, and how the hell is she still alive?" She led the way out to Lydecker and the others gathered around the table.

"How's she doing?" Lydecker asked as he saw them approach.

"She's fine" Krit said with a sneer, indicating he did not care for Lydecker to know about Max's health.

"Tell us how Maxie survived. You called it Lydecker, you said she was KIA, and now she's here?" Syl said as she and Krit both took seats at the table.

"The bullet went into her heart, a fatal wound. I checked her, there was no pulse she was dead" Lydecker said then they all turned to Brin and Handson.

Brin looked away. "Zack" she said, "he sacrificed himself to save her. Max's heart is Zack's" she said still not looking at them. They were all quiet.

Lydecker broke the silence "the tracker?"

"I don't know all the details. They removed the red implant, and then replaced it with a different tracker" said Brin looking back at the others. Lydecker accepted the fact that Zack was dead much more easily than her brother and sister. She could see the pain in their eyes. They tried to hide it but they were unsuccessful.

"Surgery like that is very risky, if not fatal. Can you explain that Ed?" Lydecker said, directing the conversation towards something he was very curious about.

"Yes you are right Deck. She was comatosed after the surgery. We believe that if she would have woken she would have been..." Handson was unsure how to say it, he didn't want the others to take offence if he was too crude. Luckily Lydecker didn't have those issues, "a vegetable" he said looking at the doctor.

Handson nodded

"But that doesn't make any sense!" Krit said looking to Syl who also looked confused.

"Neither does a bullet wound that in appearances is a week old. When was she shot, yesterday?" Lydecker asked Brin.

"Yes" Brin said shortly, she did not elaborate.

"What did they do to her Ed?" Lydecker asked Handson

The doctor looked increasingly uncomfortable. He began slowly "the NeoGenesis project" before he could continue Lydecker jumped up and swore vehemently.

"That bitch killed Tinga with her NeoGenesis project. I can't believe they are still at it" Lydecker was vivid. He paced a few steps then came back. He remained standing.

"My apologies doctor please continue" he said, not very apologetically.

"Yes the NeoGenesis project was not very successful at first. With Max in a catatonic state they managed to successfully integrate self-regenerative stem cells into her system. She adapted so well that some of her own cells adapted and became regenerative and self-replicating stem cells. They could harvest her cells. Sell it to whoever had the money. The cells would not be rejected by the recipient. With Max's genetic integration the cells developed a system to adapt to the recipients immunity, therefore preventing tissue rejection." Handson explained.

Lydecker was visibly gawking. The X5's seemed to be lost in thought, except for Brin who already knew this.

"How much money did they make?" Lydecker asked the question everyone was too afraid to ask.

"Manticore is currently financially profitable, they have already begun reconstructing the DNA lab" Handson said, the effect was exponential.

Lydecker banged on the table with his fist; Krit jumped up and yelled "NO!" Syl went into a frenzy and started accusing Lydecker. "This is bullshit! Zack died for nothing, and it's your fault!" she said pointing a finger at Lydecker. She has clearly had this on her mind for a while.

"I didn't know there was a contingent of X7's. They were supposed to be out on assignment" he defended immediately.

"How could you n…." Syl continued but was cut off.

"He's right" Brin said, they all turned their attention to her.

"There was a transport problem so they were kept at base. He couldn't have known" she said, everyone looked at her surprised.

Logan's penthouse

"I don't know about you but I think we should go down town and have a look around" Asha said as she was scanning the computer screen over Logan's shoulder.

"I don't think that's a good idea, it's too risky" Logan said scrolling to a next page.

They were looking at traffic cam images, showing Seattle South during the day of the weapons exchange. The weapons were delivered to a liquor store early morning. The delivery is not obviously weapons but Logan managed to enhance the images of the delivery people and the liquor store owner. The delivery personnel are all known associates of General Martin Davis, the same Martin Davis who took a bribe from Phentrim to swap prescription drugs with fake pills which he sent to veteran clinics. The meds weren't for fatal diseases but something like the common cold, which isn't really an issue unless you're old or really young. Problem is now people have to buy double the amount of medication to get better because the fake stuff don't really work so well. Probably supplemented his weapon trade with money from the vet clinics also, or so Logan suspected although he had no proof. Money from the ration cards Logan had proof of as well as his most recent transactions where he purchased several rifles as well as small arms.

He got Intel that rifles and small arms were to be traded to a Gang in South Seattle from an informant of Detective Matt Sung's. Logan knows the guns come from Martin he also knows that the guys from the trucks were Martins associates since he hacked into the traffic surveillance cameras during the night of the exchange and filmed the whole deal. Problem was he couldn't prove that Martin was behind the exchange. If he tries to corner the general now he might claim that his associates were acting on their own and he had no knowledge of the weapons trade. If there was no way to prove otherwise, the general will walk free and unscathed.

"There must be something in that building that we can use. Transaction records or records of money transfers, something!" Asha said despondently.

"It's too risky. The gangs must be guarding that building like its gold. Not to mention they are now armed with some serious merchandise. We can't risk it." Logan tried to reason with her. "I'll keep this intel and build on it, add more to it until we have enough. Then I'll ask Eyes Only to do a cable hack and expose the guy. As frustrating as it is, that's all we can do." Logan said, annoyed. He wanted to bring Martin down, but there was just nothing he could do. He could ask Krit or Syl to try and retrieve some info but with the heat the gangs were packing he didn't want to risk it. How many times did Max only narrowly escape from missions like these. No he would not risk their live again, he would never forgive himself is he was responsible for the death of an X5.

Logan watched Asha carefully. She was still contemplating to go.

"Well she said finally, I guess we wait then" she said reluctantly.

Logan was not convinced but he had to accept her word.

"Well I'm going home then. I'll see you tomorrow" she said heading towards the door.

"Sure see you tomorrow. You don't want me to give you a lift?" he asked as he stood up to walk her out.

"Nah I'll take a cab." She said looking back and seeing Logan get up she added "I'll find my own way out, you go through those images again, see if you can find anything. Oh mind if I take an apple?" Asha said pointing at a small pile of apples on the kitchen table.

"Sure help yourself" he said then returned to his seat. He listened to Asha crunching into the apple as she walked out.

Warehouse

Max heard Syl and Krit leave her side to return to the main room. She was so tired and exhausted after the seizure she did not bother to get up. If she tried hard enough she might fall asleep again. But that was impossible so she instead listened to the conversation between Krit, Syl, Lydecker, Brin and Handson.

She never really knew what happened to her at Manticore so she followed every word of the conversation and memorised it. She would probably have to explain this to Logan at some point anyway.

Then they all started shouting at each other. She got up and was heading in their direction. Just then Brin spoke up for Lydecker and Max froze shocked. The warehouse was so quiet you could hear a pin drop even without enhanced hearing.

Then Syl saw Max standing nearby. "You shouldn't be up, you should rest."

They all turned their attention to her. "I'm done sleeping" she shrugged "I tried, it's no use" She approaching the group.

"Since we're on the topic of who betrayed whom, how are you not re-indoctrinated, and how did you Brin manage to break out of re-indoctrination?" Lydecker asked as if they didn't just argue.

"Max kept getting seizures during the procedure, no matter how much tryptophan they gave her. Ultimately they decided re-indoctrination was impossible, her seizures prevented deep probing and mind manipulation. They believed it was due to the implant, so they used that as the excuse to remove it. Personally I disagreed, but what say did I have. As for myself, I got a bad knock on the head, the re-indoctrination started clearing off after that. Don't asked me how that's possible cause I don't know." Brin said answering for both her and Max.

"So can't these stem cells fix Max's seizures?" Krit asked.

"No with the seizures we use a virus to insert a piece of DNA into the genome of the patient. We can't replace the whole tryptophan-serotonin pathway but we can correct the DNA error restoring the dysfunctional gene or part of the gene. Unfortunately with the destruction of the DNA lab we also lost all our data on exactly which part of your genome was defective. We could re-sequence it and locate the error. The only problem is your genetic code arose from decades of research. It's not the same as the human code and without the DNA lab we have nothing to compare it to. It would take years to recover that data, and as you know, Manticore currently has other priorities." Handson explained to Max, she nodded.

"Perhaps its better this way, otherwise who knows what they would have turned me into" she said. "So what now? Seems I can't really get away from them. I have perhaps a few more days" she said indicating the armband which was blocking the signal from the tracker, "but what happens then?"

"We can't take the implant out that is too risky, if not impossible even with your current healing abilities. We don't have the equipment that Manticore does. Another option would be to reprogram the device. That is also risky because we need the specific code that the device is linked to, to access it. I'm not sure what safety features they have on this thing?" Lydecker said.

"It's worth trying. How do we get the code?" Max asked looking at Brin. She could still not believe Brin stood up for Lydecker. She must really be shaking this re-indoctrination off.

"That's the risky part. We will have to hack into Manticore's internal mainframe. We should be able to do this remotely but we have to get in close and I don't how they improved their security after our last encounter." Lydecker said.

"What's our timeframe" Max asked Brin.

"Safely, four days. More than that and we're pushing it" she said.

"While you were supposedly diseased, we managed to track down all the other escaped X5's including Jace. I have to contact them all to inform them that you're alive. Perhaps some of them will volunteer to help us in case we need some extra backup." Krit said enthusiastically.

"We can assume Logan will volunteer as hacker. If you don't feel up to it I can go talk to him" Syl offered seeing the anxious look on Max's face.

"No, I'll go. It's just been a while." Max said looking at her clothes, "I should really take a shower before I go though" she added disgusted.

"You know, that's not a bad idea" Syl replied stepping back a bit with an equally disgusted expression. Max looked up and suddenly they both burst out laughing.

Everyone was glad that there was still hope.

Logan's penthouse

Logan was scanning the images again. Something was nagging at him but he could not place where his worries originated from. He knew he had thoroughly examine the images and would not find anything new. But that was not what was bothering him. Perhaps it was Asha. He really hoped she wasn't going to do anything stupid. Thinking of her he gave up the search and walked to the kitchen. The apples were fresh from the market and he was feeling a bit peckish. He took one right off the top of the pile, careful not to start the others on a rolling campaign. Just as he bit into it he realised what was bothering him. He left the car keys on the table next to the apples. The keys were gone.


	13. Chapter 12

**NeoGenesis**

**Chapter 12**

Logan cursed under his breath. He should have known she would try something like this. The girl was young and stupid. She was willing to take risks to get what she wanted but had no idea how dangerous it was. He parked the truck near the drug store where the traffic cam was that they hacked earlier. He should call for backup before he went in, but he feared he might already be too late. He phoned Krit first, but there was no answer so he left a message. He tried Syl, but again he got only an electronic voice telling him to leave a message. Frustrated he told Syl to call when she was available since he'll be going on his own to rescue Asha from South Seattle. Then he hung up annoyed.

He had to find Asha before she ended in a ditch somewhere. He still could not believe her stupidity. He had to make some hasty decisions and he hated rushing into things without a plan. From a map of the South of Seattle he deduced that Asha might try and get into the administrative buildings near the main warehouse district. That seems to be the most likely position for someone in charge to hole up in. It was more secure than the other buildings and walking distance to the warehouses and the liqueur store outside which Logan now sat contemplating his next move. If they holed up in the office building the gang leaders can inspect their wares without much hassle, plus drop by for some booze before they returned to their hideout.

Logan made up his mind and got out of the truck. The truck was a valuable asset to the Eye's Only community but he had no other choice. He had to leave it to go in and find Asha. He just hoped Krit and Syl would get his messages soon so that they can come and help.

He had to be cautious when he entered this area. Luckily he had his exo so he could move more freely. He headed down the alley next to the liqueur store in the general direction of the office building.

The building was only two blocks away so he hurried along hoping no one spotted him. He was halfway along the first block of warehouses when he heard gunshots in one of the nearby buildings. Logan snuck closer to a door. A woman screamed. Logan didn't think he jumped forward and kicked the door open. Miscalculating the power of the exo he fell over backwards from the reactive force of the kick and rather awkwardly sat flat on his butt. Struggling back to his feet he noticed a man to his right, he fired two shots. The man dropped like a stone. He took two steps into the building where he saw a man holding Asha's arms behind her back. Before he could react something heavy hit him on the head and everything turned black.

* * *

><p>Max was extremely nervous. She felt uncertain an insecure. She's been gone for two years. Two years in which Manticore tortured her, almost killed her and transformed her into an even more awesome killing machine, the one thing she hated most about herself. She was anxious to see Logan but somehow she felt like a freak now more than ever. She was also a bearer of bad news. She had to inform Logan that he would have to hack into Manticore again to save her life. If he failed she would die again, this time for good.<p>

She suddenly realised she's been standing in front of Logan's door far too long for comfort. Luckily he had a floor all to himself otherwise she would have received some curious stares. Squaring her shoulders she knocked. Immediately she regretted it. She should have used the sky window, surprised him while he was working at his computer. She heard the squeaking of wheels then suddenly the door opened and it was too late...

Hannah screamed, Max took a step back in surprise. Hannah tried to retreat, lost her balance and tipped over backwards in the wheelchair. Max recovered first.

"Hannah!" she reached down and lifted Hannah and the chair back in an upright position.

"Are you all right, I didn't mean to scare you" Max said as she knelt down in front of Hannah.

"I really did not expect..." Hannah said trying to stabilize her breathing and heart rate.

"A dead person knocking on your door." Max smiled at the older woman who relaxed a little.

"No I really did not expect that" she said, holding her beating heart.

"Mind if I come in?" Max said smiling. She never expected to find Hannah here. Why did Syl not tell her? Why was Hannah here? Why was she in Logan's chair? She hoped there wasn't any trouble. At least Hannah seemed to be safe. Max would not let any harm come to her, the woman saved her life.

"No come in, come in. I was just cleaning a bit" Hannah said rolling backwards.

Max lifted an eyebrow to the wheelchair as she entered the familiar apartment.

"You first, being in a chair due to a foot injury is not as big as rising from the dead. I'll get us some coffee or something stronger perhaps." Hannah said still slightly shocked.

Max laughed. Her tension form before eased a little. "I think I'll go with something stronger. Logan around?"

"No he's out. Not sure when he will be back. I could call him if you want?" Hannah said heading into the kitchen.

The front door suddenly burst open. Syl came storming in. She was vivid.

"Syl?"

"That stupid boyfriend of yours ran after some skirt into South Seattle" Syl said heading towards Logan's office.

"He's not.." she stopped herself. South Seattle, that was a bad sector.

"We're not going to have enough time" Syl said as she was trying to hack Logan's computer.

"Doesn't matter" Max said, "Move!"

Syl moved away from the computer with a frown. Max typed away and was in Logan's files before she had the chair under her.

"Wow how did you do that?" Syl asked impressed

"Know who your dealing with" Max said.

"Yeh right!" Syl said sceptically giving Max a friendly shove.

"He never changed his passwords" Max said while she opened a map of South Seattle.

"Stupid, very stupid. I'm gonna break his bones. So where is he?" Syl said leaning in for a closer look.

"His last search indicated he was looking at these warehouses. Here, that's where I would start" Max said pointing at the mentioned structures.

"Good location, right in between everything. Hannah, you driving?" Syl threw the car keys in her direction. They fell right in her lap. Hannah looked at them like they were poisoned.

"Don't worry, we just need you to keep the engine running." Max reassured her. She and Syl could easily fall in when things went wrong. Others like Hannah needed more time to process events. "Come on, it'll be okay." She helped Hannah to the elevator.

Syl just shrugged nonchalantly before turning to the door. "I'll call the others, let's go!"

* * *

><p>Logan felt cold. His head throbbed. He was lying on something wet. He tried to sit up without opening his eyes, since he feared it might make his headache worse, but as soon as he lifted his head he hit a metal grate. He opened his eyes to find himself in a ditch with water flowing steadily along. His hands and legs were tied and the metal grate covering the ditch prevented any escape since it severely restricted his movements. He was thoroughly trapped.<p>

"Ah the cop's finally awake." He heard a man say from somewhere above. There was a slight echo, like someone speaking in an empty room, so he could not accurately discern the position of the speaker. "Nice n cozy officer?" They all laughed as a man stepped onto the grate above Logan's head.

"You thirsty?" he asked then turned to someone else. Hey D, popo is thirsty, give him some juice. There was the sound of something opening before Logan felt a rush of cold water filling the ditch.

"Leave him alone, he's not a cop!" Asha yelled, Logan presume somewhere to his right.

"Quiet blondie, you'll have your turn," the man standing on the grate said looking down on Logan with a sadistic grin.

Logan had to lift his head. The water was rising fast.

"Andy! What are you doing. General Davis and his boys will be here soon. We must prepare for the fight." Logan heard the man approach but he could not see his face. He heard the metallic scraping of a gun hanging from the man's shoulder.

"Just havin a little fun, sides, the general won't show till full dark. Cowards like fightin in the dark. Ait that right popo." he chuckled.

"Ten if you want in on how long it's gonna take him to drown" someone else said from the direction Asha spoke earlier. "I say the blonde will last longer. Women, so stubborn." Logan heard Asha swear through a gag, the men just chuckled.

The man with the gun approached the grid and looked down. He was a big man. The weapon resembled an AK47. "20 on the blonde" he said, "with ice!"

Everyone cheered. Logan closed his eyes and focused on breathing. He hoped the General would arrive before the water overflowed the grate. A sad hope, since the general would probably not hesitate to shoot him.

* * *

><p>"Slow down Hannah, I think we'll get out here. Any word from the others?" Max said as she opened the car door.<p>

"They're prepping for the assault. I don't think they'll be able to join us." Syl said apologetically.

"I understand." Max looked around and pointed Syl to a building nearby. "You take that one, I'll take the warehouse next to it. Meet in the alley." Syl nodded and headed out.

"Hannah, keep the engine running." Hannah just nodded. She was looking in all directions to make sure it was clear. Max suddenly felt sorry for her, she knew it was clear, her sensitive hearing already told her that. But Hannah was scared, not being as young any more. She regretted bringing her along, but they needed someone to keep their car safe. It was their only getaway.

"Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you, I promise." Max reassured her before heading in the direction of the warehouse.

When she neared she saw an unconscious man lying next to the building Syl entered. Max smiled, her sister did not let anyone wait on her. She ran next to the wall, her Manticore boots barely touching the ground. She smelled food as she neared the door. Some sort of soup perhaps. She didn't even realise she hadn't eaten since the day before, neither has she slept in almost a week, but those were concerns for another time. First she had to find Logan.

She saw an open window and jumped up to grab onto the windowsill. She peeked over the side. Some thugs were cleaning their weapons and dressing up. Seems they were preparing for a big fight. Max did not quite understand, and didn't really care. She jumped in kicking the first man under the chin knocking him right back against the wall. The next man she punched in the gut then slammed his face into her knee knocking him out. The two others pulled up their guns and fired. She dodged grabbed the gun from the one man and slammed it into his face. The other kept on firing, hitting his buddy without care, but Max was already running towards the wall. She jumped, kicked against the wall and slammed her whole body weight into the shooter. Max gave him a solid right hand fist to the face. He lay still.

She heard footsteps heading in her direction. More thugs were alerted by the gunfire. _Good_, Max thought as she jumped out the window again and ran along the outside of the building. Should keep them busy for a while giving her a chance to sneak in from below. There was a door just a few paces ahead. She stopped in front of the door and listened carefully with her enhanced hearing. She heard some mumbling from a person that was gagged and footsteps of two others. They were alert walking in careful circles waiting for the attack. She also heard another man breathing heavily with the sound of water flowing slowly.

Max opened the door silently and crept in carefully. The room was fairly empty except for some old storage crates stacked near one wall. There was a blonde woman lying on the floor in the middle of the room. Her hands were tied and she was gagged. A few steps from her there was a deep ditch filling with water. The two armed men were circling the woman as they scanned their surroundings for potential trouble. The distance between the two men would make it difficult to take them both out at the same time. Max looked around and found a brick near the old storage boxes. She was quiet and kept to the dark spots so that the men would not see her. She ran forward, taking the men by surprise throwing the brick at the one man's head. The man was more alert than she expected, he lifted his arm just in time to protect his face. He was only stunned temporarily. Max dived into the second man while his attention was on the first. She knocked the gun out of his hands and punched him hard in the face. She just had enough time to dive behind some boxes when the second man, recovered from his brick injury and started firing.

Max laughed. It's been a while since she felt real exhilaration from a fight. It felt good. She glanced out to her opponent who stopped firing to reload. He was fumbling around in his clothes looking for another cartridge. Max casually walked out from behind the crates. She was about to make a snooty remark on his poor planning when she noticed the ditch filling with water. Logan was struggling to keep his head above the waterline. He had to press his forehead against the grid to breath. Soon he won't be able to breath at all when the water overflowed.

Furious Max ran forward and lifted a section of the grid out of the ditch with such force that it went flying into the wall several feet away. She jumped into the water and lifted Logan out of the ditch like he was a rag doll. He breathed deeply then coughed more out of relief then due to swallowed water.

He looked up at his rescuer, "tha..." he stopped breathing before he could finish his words. He just stared at her. Max could not help but smile. There were times when she was sure she would never see him again.

There was a loud grunt and a woman's outcry. Max looked up to see the thug had kicked Asha who had rolled over his lost cartridge. He must have dropped it earlier when there was gunfire upstairs. Just then more thugs came through the door at the back. Presumably the same ones that left earlier to see what the gunfire was about. Max grabbed Logan by his collar and dragged him behind some cover. That pulled him out of his stupor. "Max be careful" was all he could say before Max launched herself back into the fray.

The first man she got hold off went flying across the room. She felt the burn in her leg as a bullet grazed her but she ignored it and kept on going. She jumped over the next man using his shoulders for leverage then elbowed him in the kidney as she landed behind him. Then she spinned around and kicked the next man in the face. She twisted sideways to dodge another spray of bullets while turning to punch another man in the gut. She took the same man's gun and used it as a bat to whack another thug out of her way. The only man still standing was the one she originally threw with a brick. She walked towards him. He dropped his now twice empty gun and lifted his fists to fight Max. A wise man would have dropped his gun and ran. He was not a wise man.

Max moved so fast before he could even think of landing a blow or dropping his hands Max ran next to him moved her arm under his uplifted fists and used his own arms as leverage to lift him of the ground and slam him onto his back. He was a big man and the fall reverberated through the largely empty room. He grunted. Max circled him waiting for him to stand up again. He granted her wish and staggered back onto his feet.

"Let's dance" she said then started moving around him like a fox. Every time he tried to turn to get her she would be somewhere else. She slapped his face, punched him in the kidney, the chin. Then kicked him in the knee, punched him in the face again. Soon he was in excruciating pain from numerous blows as well as drunk and staggering from turning in circles the whole time. Max laughed, "What's wrong tough guy. Can't catch a girl. What would the boys say of you now, pathetic!" She punched him with a solid right hand and he went down like a rock.

"Remind me not to piss you off" Syl said as she entered the warehouse. "I see you found them." She walked over to Asha to untie her. Max went to help Logan. He was trying to lean on the crates as he stood but his exo suddenly shorted and he fell down again, his legs kicking an awkward jig.

"Ah dammit," he cursed, turning the exo off.

"Not waterproof I guess" Max said as she crouched next to him.

"I thought..." He didn't really know how to continue but Max understood. He was overwhelmed. "Let's get out of here" she said, but before she could help him there was a sudden burst of gunfire all around them.

"A hell, it's the military. We gotta get out of here, and fast!" Asha yelled as she staggered to her feet.

"Sorry Logan," Max apologised before she lifted him like a sack of potatoes, onto her shoulder. Syl ran ahead to clear a path for them.

Max could run but not fast. Logan was not the heaviest man but still a significant weight. They tried to head back the way they had come but the military had already brought their vehicles and men into the area. The only way out was through the labyrinth of dockside warehouses and storage containers.

"Ah shit, shit!" Asha would say as they ran along, gunfire following close behind.

Max kept her pace when suddenly a shiver ran through her body. She stopped to compose herself.

"Max?" Syl asked, "I'm coming, keep going," Max said as she started off again.

"Shit!" Asha said again as she looked back towards the warehouse they just left, now crawling with military personnel.

"Oh shut up will you!" Syl said irritably. She fired a few rounds at the thugs that rounded one of the corners. Unlike the untrained bandits, Syl did not waste bullets. One or two per opponent, and not a single shot more than what was needed.

Logan held onto Max not just not to fall off but also to make sure she was still there. He still could not believe that she was alive. As they ran Logan felt another shiver run through Max's body. He instinctively knew she was on the verge of having a seizure. She stopped walking and leaned against some storage crates outside a building. Syl stopped again and came back to assist.

Max slowly lowered Logan onto the ground and tried to resist another shiver. Syl placed a protective hand on her shoulder, but Max brushed it off.

"No, go! We're just slowing you down. Take the girl and get out of here. Well manage. Go"

Syl hesitated. "Go now!" It was said as an order, a command. Syl grabbed Asha by the arm and ran. Asha squealed but could not break the grip of the X5 and was therefore dragged along mercilessly.

"Are you ok?" Logan asked stupidly as the two women went around a corner.

Max ignored the question and pointed at a storage crate that was covered by a piece of large plastic. "Think we'll fit in there?"

"Tight squeeze but it might work. Won't they find us?" Logan asked eyeing the crate sceptically. Small spaces and heights, not his favourite things.

"They'll be too busy killing each other, 'sides nothing in these old crates but junk. Good stuff was fenced long ago." She headed to the old crate and lifted the plastic to get to the wooden cover. The wood was mouldy on the outside but dry inside. Another shiver took her so she took a moment to compose herself then helped Logan inside. She fell in beside him as another shiver took her balance.

They lay next to each other in the small confines of the crate listening to the fighting all around them. After a few minutes the rain started up again and the gunfire was muffled by the drops splattering on the outside of their shelter. Logan placed his arms around Max and held her tight as she fought against the seizure pulling at every muscle in her body. It was painful, but for once, she did not care.


End file.
